


And If Tomorrow It's All Over (At Least We Had It For A Moment)

by Chloe_Gayzer



Category: Apex Legends (Video Games)
Genre: Angst, Anxiety Attacks, Canon Non-Binary Character, F/F, Found Family, Kidnapping, Other, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Secret Relationship, Seriously I'm doing my best to hurt anita and ajay, Torture, and bloth, hints of miragehound too
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:55:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 29,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23384119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chloe_Gayzer/pseuds/Chloe_Gayzer
Summary: The news drones on. Anita can't help but listen."Sources confirm that popular Legend Ajay Che, also known as Lifeline, was not recovered after the crash. Reports say that, while last seen alive, additional rescue teams have not been able to find her in the wreckage of the dropship. No word yet on if there was foul play. No surviving Legends have agreed to comment at this time."___Ajay is kidnapped.Bloodhound and Anita must work together to get her back.
Relationships: Bangalore | Anita Williams/Lifeline | Ajay Che
Comments: 15
Kudos: 40





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Well, friends. Here's the prologue.
> 
> Hope you're ready.
> 
> I'm not.

Ajay holds an arm up. Artur flies across the room and lands on it. “What a good bird!”

Bloth, across the room, gives her a smile. “He likes you.”

Artur tilts his head and spots the hair tie on her wrist. He nibbles on it idly as she rubs the feathers on the back of his head. “He’s a sweet thing.”

“You should see him near Elliott. I would not say he is sweet then.” They watch as Ajay takes the hair tie off her wrist, letting Artur chew on it. "Are you prepared for the next game?"

Ajay nods. "Course I am. Been trainin' with Anita in the range a bit. I might not have as many wins as you, renna, but I got a couple of my own."

"We share one of those, krútt."

"Yeah, but who got you up twice for it?" She's saying it all in good fun. The two of them get along well. Often, Bloth shares the meat they get in hunts with her. In exchange, Ajay does her best to get them discreet healthcare with professionals they can trust.

In reality, she's been doing that for them for longer than they've been outright friends or whatever simulacrum of family they are to each other now. While in the ring they might have to face each other, but out of it? They're close. Ajay can tell Bloth anything and know the secret is safe. Bloth knows the same of Ajay. Ajay goes to them for all kinds of things, from chats about gender to problems with women.

"One of them was Elliott, I believe."

She grins. "Ah, our win was with 'Nita. I remember 'cause she was sweet an' gave me that level four bag."

Bloodhound can only accept that.

"Anyway, I stopped by 'cause I want t' invite you to come over for Tu B’shevat, little over a week from now. I'm gonna make apple pie and some others."

"I would be delighted. Vould you like me to bring anything from my last hunt?"

She shakes her head. "Nah. Thank ya though. Tu B’shevat ain't a holiday for meat. Fruits are best."

"Wine?" Bloth offers, only just avoiding their usual v sound.

"Sure!" Ajay bites her lip. "I think Anita is gonna join too."

"I will bring enough. Will it just be the three of us?"

Artur drops the hair tie back into her hand and hops up her arm to her shoulder. "Four if ya count Artur. I'll get him some unsalted peanuts." She bounces on the balls of her feet. "Might ask Makoa, if he's willin'. I'll letcha know. Right now, I got a place t' be. I'll see ya tomorrow on the ship?"

"Of course," Bloodhound responds. They whistle, and Artur returns to them.

"See ya, Bloth!" With that, she heads off.

Bloodhound likes when she visits. They often find themself alone with nobody but the birds they allow in. Ajay is a bright spark of colour in their home. She keeps them from retreating into their thoughts too much.

When they had first met her, she had been kind, but they were not certain of her motives. Since this, however, they have found her to be a warm and caring soul. Her story is not a common one, but it is an honourable one. She is someone they trust and care for. In these last few months, Bloth has even taught her some of their own language. She invites them to her religion's holidays. They spend time together often these days.

Bloth never expected to find a kindred spirit here, but perhaps that is why the Allfather guided them to the games.

* * *

Ajay doesn’t knock as she enters Anita’s apartment. “‘Nita?” she calls out.

“That you, Ajay?” Rather than wait for a response, she adds, “We’re in the living room.”

We? Ajay isn’t certain of who’s visiting.

It ends up being Tae Joon. He’s sitting in the arm chair to the side. He’s dressed down from his usual over dramatic coat, instead going for a simple button up and black slacks. It's nice to see him in something casual.

"Hey," he greets. His eyes are glued on the screen. A glance shows it's a low-grav soccer game.

Anita is on the love seat nearby. Her eyes are on Ajay, rather than the game. "Hey." Her hey is a bit huskier and a lot more interested than his. She pats the spot beside her. "Join us for the game?"

Ajay shoots her a smile but shakes her head. "Gonna raid ya kitchen if ya don't mind."

"Go ahead."

She heads back into the kitchen and grabs leftovers from the fridge. Anita had made her favourite for dinner the previous night.

She hears Anita ask Tae Joon if he wants a beer and his answer in affirmative. A moment later, Anita slips into the kitchen. She slides into the space beside Ajay and reaches into one of the cupboards.

"Sorry," she says quietly. "That we can't get some time alone right now. He messaged asking if he could watch the game here and-- didn't realize he meant the college one, not the professional."

"Professionals are in a few days, yeah? After the next match for us."

"Yeah." Anita rolls her shoulders and finally goes to the fridge for beer.

Ajay, voice still low, offers up, "I don't mind stayin' the night. If you want."

With a grin, Anita's voice drops to a pleased husk. "You're always welcome over, doll."

Ajay reaches over to tug Anita closer. "Ain't I lucky?" She takes Anita's chin in her hand and seems to examine her before pulling her down for a brief kiss. She releases her after and gets back to making herself a plate.

Anita returns to the living room. Ajay follows a moment later with her food and takes the empty spot on the loveseat. The game is still playing on with a penalty kick. Ajay has only recently gotten back into low grav. She can’t remember half the team names anymore, but she knows Anita is rooting for the team in purple. She doesn’t know Tae Joon’s preference, but she suspects it’s the same. Mostly because when the team in purple scores, both Anita and Tae Joon stand with cheers.

“Did you see the power in that kick?” Anita says excitedly. “That was practically from mid field!”

“It was good,” Tae Joon agrees. “But she only had the chance because of number eighteen, Renete. They set her up for it.”

“They got the assist. Amalia got the goal.” Anita is smug. Ajay wonders if these two are always like this with sports. Anita is usually more restrained when it’s just her and Ajay.

“She would not have gotten it at all without them.” He smirks. “Besides, you just like her because you find her attractive.”

Ajay nudges Anita’s leg. “That true, ‘Nita?”

Anita’s cheeks flush a shade darker. “She’s good at the game. So what if she’s pretty?”

“Still could not have scored without Renete.” Now it’s Tae Joon who’s being smug.

“Ya need an assist t’ make the follow through.” Ajay’s voice is lilted and teasing. She’s further amused by her choice of athlete to find attractive. This player, Amalia or whoever, has more than one similarity to Ajay. She's on the shorter side and about Ajay's complexion. Similar hairstyle too. "Not t' mention, there's prettier people on the field to route for." She gestures to the screen and points out the one she can find that's most similar to Anita. It's a goalie on the purple team. She's tall with a muscular build, and curly hair like Anita's. Hers is long and tied back though. "Like her. Or… dunno, who's your pick?" She looks to Tae Joon.

He shrugs and then, with a blush, admits, "Renete." The one he'd insisted was necessary to the goal Anita's player had gotten.

Ajay laughs. "Ain't just Anita sayin' it for their looks, huh?"

The three of them enjoy the rest of the game together. There's some good natured ribbing and a bet or two placed on plays made in the game.

Ajay is careful to keep enough distance from Anita to make it seem like their relationship is more that of good friends, rather than lovers. She's practiced in it. It's almost guaranteed that no one suspects anything. They're careful so they can have their privacy from the media, but also from the other legends. While some are friends-- Bloth, Makoa, Tae Joon-- it's easier to hide it from all of them, rather than risk it. If they were to tell anyone, all it would take is one slip and their relationship would be all over the crappy net mags and more.

Eventually, Tae Joon excuses himself for the night.

Ajay makes a casual remark like she intends to head out soon, but it’s just for show. Instead, after he’s out of sight, she and Anita retire to bed. 

Anita pulls her shirt off and tosses it in her hamper. The day has been long, but it hasn't been bad. Today had been one of her good days. And now she can look forward to crawling into bed beside her girlfriend for a comfortable night's sleep.

Arms slip around her waist. She feels Ajay's body press against her back. She sighs as Ajay presses a kiss to the back of her neck. She's warm and her hands are making soft passes over Anita's abs.

"How'd you get this pretty?" Ajay asks in a murmur.

Anita doesn't answer; she instead relaxes into the touch. After a moment, she turns and gathers Ajay up in her arms. “You ready to get back in the ring?”

Ajay sighs, content. “Yeah. Wonderin’ what I’ll get for teammates.”

“Maybe we’ll be lucky, huh? Be on each other’s team.”

Ajay chuckles and pulls away to look up at her. “We’ve been lucky before. Got that win together. Not to mention the celebration afterwards.” She leans into Anita’s arms. “My clinic could use more funds. So I could use anotha’ win.”

“I can make a donation, if you’d like. It’s a good cause.”

“Your choice there, sugar. Maybe wait a few days? Only got two til the next game. Hopefully I won’t need the donation.” Ajay gives her a sweet smile before pushing Anita back to fall on the bed. “Thoughts for anotha’ day. Got somethin’ better in mind for right now.”

Anita chuckles and lets herself fall back. “Fine by me, doll. Just let me know.”

“I will. Soon as I’m done kissin’ you senseless.”

* * *

Anita stretches and tosses a foot up onto the couch. She’s tired. The day had been long, having participated in yet another round of the games. She had been teamed up with Bloodhound and Pathfinder. Not a bad team, in the long run, but they hadn't hit the top three. Anita is annoyed, but she usually gets over it pretty quickly.

She looks over to where Ajay is. Her team had been a bit luckier. She, along with Makoa and Natalie, had come in second. She's still over with Makoa working on Doc.

Anita wants to go sit with her, but she knows it's best to keep some distance. Instead, she's just in range to hear the conversation.

Ajay clicks her tongue as she makes an adjustment on Doc. The drone beeps and Ajay hushes her.

“How’s your patient?” Makoa asks from his seat beside her.

“Just fine. She just needed a patch up. She's a hardy lil thing." Ajay looks up then and looks over the rest of the ship. She catches Anita's gaze and shoots her a quick wink.

A bit of a blush rises to Anita's cheeks but she smiles before looking away.

The rest of the legends seem pretty quiet. Renee is sitting to the side chatting with Natalie. Pathfinder is happily sitting with them but seems to be mostly silent. Bloodhound has hid themself away in their personal area with Elliott chatting idly to them. Octane is playing video games in his. She can't see Revenant, but she's fairly sure he's tucked away on top of some crates against the far wall. Caustic is seated just outside his own personal area. His arms are crossed and his eyes are closed; he's likely napping off his victory. Tae Joon is leaning against the wall not far off and fiddling with his drone.

Anita is as relaxed as she can be in this setting. There's some hours before they get back, but she's looking forward to a hot bath. And, if she's lucky, some time with Ajay. It’s likely the woman will spend a lot of time in her clinic in the coming months. Anita always misses her during that time, but she knows helping people is just, a _part_ of Ajay. It’s who she is.

For some reason, Anita catches a movement from Renee. She had been frozen a moment earlier, but she had shot out a hand to grab Natalie's arm and mumbled something under her breath. Something about it seems familiar to Anita. She's seen Renee do something similar in the field, usually after getting her warnings from--

The ship shudders.

The lighting on the ship flickers and goes out. When the lights come back, alarms are flashing.

“Wh-- What’s going on?” Elliott asks, voicing the question in everyone’s heads.

There’s no answer.

And then the ship shakes again. There’s the sound of a muffled explosion.

“We’re under attack.” Anita’s statement is followed by another explosion, louder now, and the horrible vertigo hitting her. The lights go out and they’re in total darkness.

“We’re falling!”

“Everyone brace!”

Anita’s instinct is to grab for whatever is next to her. She braces herself against the couch she’s on and hopes to heaven that it's attached to the floor.

The impact is sudden and violent. Anita is tossed forward and feels something land on her. She struggles to move as the ship continues to tumble as though it's sliding downhill.

Everything stops.

Anita shoves the couch off of her and finds, thankfully, she's only sore as far as she can tell. An emergency light blinks on, dimly illuminating the scene around her. Everything not nailed down has moved-- like the couch beneath her. The ship is at a slant. Not so much that she’ll fall over upon standing, but enough to know they’ve landed off-kilter. There are some sparks shooting off in the dark, likely from torn wires, but everything on this ship is flame resistant. It’ll take time before anything catches.

She sees some of the others right away. Pathfinder is braced around Renee and Natalie. Natalie looks near unscathed, but Renee has a nasty cut on her cheek and a red mark blooming into a bruise on the other side of her face. Makoa is-- Anita lets out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Makoa has his shield above his head, also covering Ajay who he has pressed against his side.

Anita darts forward.

"Ajay!" she says urgently. "Are you alright?" She cups Ajay's face in her hand. She’s not sure how she might react to anything happening to Ajay. She’s lost too many already.

Ajay looks startled more than anything. And unharmed at the very least. She leans into the touch and nods. "I'm fine. What about you?"

"A little banged up, but fine other than that."

Ajay pulls her into a tight hug. "Thank goodness."

She lets go and her demeanour changes. She stands up straight and turns to Makoa. "You hurt?"

"I'm all good," he assures.

"Good. And thanks."

"I-- I require aid," says a deep voice.

Ajay heads to it right away. Caustic seems to have gotten tossed in the crash. He’s now just behind a half wall with his back pressed to it, a decent way from his personal area. He's holding his arm.

"Alright, I'm here." Ajay's voice is low and calm.

Anita watches her for a moment before Makoa catches her attention.

"Hey, uh… You and Ajay--"

"Looks like this is broken. Anita, get me somethin' I can use to splint his arm, somethin' solid but not too thick."

Anita reacts to the order right away and starts to look around.

"Makoa, help me check on the others." Ajay raises her voice. "If ya can walk, come t' me! If ya can't, make some noise so we can getcha!"

Right away, Natalie and Renee stumble towards Ajay. Path follows behind them, one arm bent awkwardly from a stuck joint.

Sometimes Anita forgets Ajay is trained for search and rescue.

She finds a thin but inflexible rod on the ground. It looks like it's snapped off of one of the light fixtures in the crash. She brings it back to Ajay.

"Good. Now find me Doc." She whips her head around as Tae Joon stumbles over to them. There's blood welling up between his fingers where he's holding his chest. It's all down his front, dying his green vest a deep, dark black. Ajay frowns. " _Quickly_ , Anita. Park, lay down on your back here. Take ya’ coat off first. Makoa, hold his coat to the wound. Keep pressure on it."

Anita has to pry up a bit of debris to find Doc.

Ajay thanks her again as she returns. Bloodhound and Elliott have joined the group now, as has Octane. Elliott is leaning heavily on Bloth's side. Octane has a broken tooth and a cut lip along with a nasty bunch of scratches across one cheek. That only leaves--

Her thought is interrupted by an angry, muffled snarl.

"Get this off of me!" comes Revenant's yell. The crates he had been on are in a haphazard pile, most likely on top of him.

Ajay, for the most part, ignores it. "Alright, Alexander, ya gonna have to wait a moment since ya ain't bleedin'." She moves to Crypto, who's looking rather pale, and activates Doc. Doc whirs softly and does what she was built to do: heal. Ajay removes suture supplies from a compartment in the little robot. She cuts away his shirt from the area. "Doc ain't gonna be able to close this on her own, but some stitches should keep you livin'. Renee, once I'm done with him, get in close. Doc can help ya' after." She jerks her chin towards Path. "Path, if ya could, make your optic bright and give me a little light t' see."

“Of course, friend!”

There's another angry yell from beneath the crates.

"And can someone help Rev?" Ajay adds, exasperated.

Anita and Makoa seem to be the most able-bodied. Bloodhound joins them a moment later after finding a spot Elliott can sit. With some work, they're able to move the crates away.

Revenant is pissed. His upper body seems mostly undamaged, but his left leg is off below the knee and his right is completely separated. Like something from a horror movie, he drags himself forward with his arms, moving faster than should be possible.

"Easy there, brotha." Makoa attempts to help him, but Revenant isn't having it.

"Whoever caused this will die horribly!" he rasps.

Anita picks up his legs as Makoa does his best to deal with Revenant himself. "Hold yourself together. We'll get these reattached after Ajay is done fixing up the others."

"I can't hold myself together! I'm in three pieces!" Of course, that makes him angrier. That's just who he is.

Ajay finishes up the stitches as they come back. “Tae Joon, lay there for me. Ya gonna be just fine.” She turns back to Caustic. "Alright, Alex, I'm sure ya been in pain before, but I gotta get ya arm set as best I can before you start movin', alright? Need ya t’ stay still."

"Just do it." His voice is low and almost calm but the pain is apparent.

As she's feeling his break, a voice fills the ship. It's the announcer's voice.

**PLEASE REMAIN CALM. RESCUE SHIPS ARE ALREADY ON THEIR WAY. PLEASE REMAIN CALM. ANY SURVIVORS ARE ASKED TO STAY WITH THE SHIP UNTIL HELP ARRIVES.**

If anything, the voice puts Anita more on edge.

“See, everyone?” Ajay says in a calming tone. “We’re gonna be jus’ fine.”

Ajay splints Caustic’s arm as best she can. Once finished, she stands and looks around. Everyone is looking to her now. Anita has been in one or two crashed ships before, but Ajay is trained for this. She’s pulled people out of the wreckage before. This time, she’s just doing it from the inside.

“First things first. I need t’ make sure y’all are as stable as I can.” She trains her attention on Bloth. “You good, renna?”

“I have only bruises. Keep your focus on the others.”

Ajay nods. “Okay. Can you find me a spot to get Revenant so I can try to get his legs back on?”

Revenant, who has been cursing and ranting on the ground beside Makoa, falls silent. Maybe knowing Ajay isn’t going to ignore him helps.

“Of course.”

“I’ll get t’ you soon, Path, I gotta check on people who ain’t so easy to fix first.”

“I understand!” Path says brightly. The damn robot probably doesn’t have a bit of malicious code in his entire body.

Ajay moves closer to Renee and holds her chin gently with two fingers, turning it to examine the damage. “Butterfly bandage should be enough for that cut. Ain’t got ice for ya’ cheek right now, but we can when we get back.”

“My-- My arm,” Renee manages.

Ajay looks to the arm in question and frowns. “Looks like it’s popped out of its socket. Don’t move it, okay? We’ll try poppin’ it back in in a minute.” Ajay’s eyes flash over to Nat, who’s standing close beside Renee. She’s got her hands over her ears. She’s shaking.

Anita can guess what Ajay is thinking. There’s a lot of noise here right now: sparks in the distance, the steady hiss of ruptured airflow, and the crash itself had been deafening.

“‘Nita, find her headphones. She needs ‘em.”

Anita sets to it right away. As she does, she hears Ajay instructing Renee on what to do to get her arm back into place. She’s no stranger to the crunch of it going back into place, but she still flinches at Renee’s soft cry of pain.

Anita finds, miraculously, a pair of noise-cancelling headphones in Natalie’s little area of the ship. It’s miraculous because they aren’t broken, having been half under Natalie’s fallen pylon.

By the time Anita makes her way back over to the group, Ajay has Elliott looking a little livelier. He’s still staying off his feet and has some obvious bruises starting on his visible skin.

Ajay takes the headphones from her and heads for Natalie. She’s gentle in slipping them onto her. Natalie starts to calm as soon as they’re fixed on. Ajay’s hands move quickly then, signing to Natalie to avoid more noise input. Natalie nods after a moment and shakily signs back.

There’s a pop, followed by a growing light.

“Fire!” Elliott’s voice is a sudden shout.

Sure enough, the area nearby where Caustic and Bloodhound’s has caught flame. They’re lucky they hadn’t had it start with the initial impact.

“Alright, Bloth, get us an exit. Makoa, if you can make sure Revenant gets out-- all pieces of ‘im. Renee, you’ve got Nat. Elliott, with me.” She hooks Elliott’s arm over her shoulders. "Anita, grab Park. Doc'll follow."

Anita slips her arms under Tae Joon's prone form. There's some colour returning to his cheeks and he seems lucid enough.

"Thanks," he mumbles.

Ajay has done her best to bandage over the stitches, but she only has the supplies she packs into Doc. It isn't enough to cover all of the wound he's sustained. Anita can see some of the stitched flesh poking out from the attempted bandage.

He feels like no more than an armful of dead weight.

Bloth manages to pry the doors open with some help from Pathfinder. They hold them apart for everybody to get through.

As soon as they're out, Ajay issues orders again. "We need t' get farther from the wreck. No idea how long we got 'til those ships are here. Lucky break that we weren't in flames right away." As if to agree with that sentiment, there's a muffled explosion from inside the wrecked dropship. She swears. "Come on, let's move."

It's a small procession of injured legends, all led by a little woman with pink hair.

She stops them a dozen meters away. She eases Elliott down to sit and turns to the group. "We all made it. We all still breathin', those of us that have to. So let's hunker down, yeah?"

Anita lays Tae Joon down on the ground before turning back to look at the ship. Ajay is still talking behind her. She's giving orders again, trying to help their injured. Anita doesn't hear her. Her eyes are on the marks on the outside of the ship. They feel familiar. Like she's seen them before.

Oh. Lasers.

The marks are familiar because she's seen damage from a stationary anti-air laser turret before. They aren't used terribly much anymore, being that they're dangerously slow to fire and malfunction with the smallest bit of dust in them.

It hits Anita that the dropship really was struck down. She had yelled that, initially, when they had started to fall from the sky. She'd thought it a gut reaction from her military days.

"Anita."

Anita starts and turns back to find Ajay behind her.

"What? Sorry, I… What are we doing?"

Ajay gives her a worried look. "Sure you're okay, sugar? We just… a lot jus' happened." Her gaze goes soft in that way that makes Anita melt. "Wanna make sure my woman ain't hurtin'."

Anita holds herself back from pulling Ajay into a hug. But does it matter that they're hiding it? With what just happened, one of them could have died.

Ajay grabs her by the arm and yanks her over behind a huge boulder that's jutting out of the ground. They're out of view from the others here. It's the only warning Anita gets before Ajay launches herself forward and wraps her arms around her.

"Oh, 'Nita, I dunno what I woulda done if you'd been hurt or worse," she whispers into the side of Anita's neck.

Anita chuckles and keeps her close. "If I was hurt, you would've done the same thing you just did. Take charge, take care of who needs it, and keep people calm. You're doing so well, doll. You're handling this amazingly."

"Just followin' my trainin'.”

They both know they should break apart and get back to the others, but it’s a comfort to be here with each other.

As if to prolong their time alone, if only for a moment, Anita gestures back to the ship. It’s something Ajay should know, anyway. “We were shot down,” she says quietly. Her tone is sombre.

Ajay frowns and pulls away a touch. “I was afraid a’ that. Hopin’ our ride gets here sooner rather than later. Before whatever shot us, finds us.”

Anita takes Ajay’s hand and squeezes it. “We’ve got this. Our rescuers will be here as soon as they can-- we’re all worth money.” It’s half a joke, half the cold hard truth. If they weren’t all considered “high priority”, rescue might not be so quick. Hell, there’s probably been plenty of cases where it never came at all.

Anita can speak from experience.

“Won’t be rescuers.”

“What?”

“I’ve looked over what the games has as safety precautions. Won’t be rescuers. Not humans or robots, that is. They got these rescue ships, speedy lil things, that automatically activate when the dropship is in distress. Unmanned. Woulda left as soon as we were hit. They can’t use full speed while planetside, but I’m guessin’, with how far out we still were when we crashed, we got at least an hour t’ kill.”

She blinks, surprised. “You’ve looked into this before?”

“Course I have, sugar.” Ajay shoots her a wink. “Gotta make sure I’m prepared for this sorta thing. I don’t exactly trust the people who’ve invested in us.”

“That’s… fair.” They haven’t really done them any favours lately.

“Now, why don’t you give me a kiss and we get back to the others? Probably gonna be a bit before we get any time alone again.”

Anita happily obliges.

Coming back around the rock, Ajay calls Makoa over.

“What’s up, sista?”

She smiles at the term and dips her head towards Anita. “Ain’t got the best news. ‘Nita just told me we were shot down.”

“The marks on the ship, on the outside,” Anita speaks up. “I’ve seen them before. It’s from an outdated turret. It’s a long-range, anti-air sort of thing. The IMC hasn’t used that brand since before I entered the service, but I had an uncle who worked on them.”

Makoa frowns.

“Lettin’ ya know. Whatever shot us down might come lookin’ for us and you’re one a’ the few that might be fit for fightin’.” Ajay takes a deep breath. “I’m gonna go help Elliott with Revenant’s legs. Maybe it’ll keep him quiet. Makoa, if you can keep an eye out? And Anita, sit with Crypto. Need t’ make sure he’s okay.”

With that, the three of them break off in separate directions.

Doc is faithfully floating beside Tae Joon. His eyes are open and he seems to be focusing on his breathing.

Anita takes a seat on the ground beside him. “How’re you feeling?”

“The pain is manageable. But I believe this is because of Miss Che’s creation here.”

As if she understands him, Doc beeps.

“Miss Che, huh? When’d you start calling her that?”

He moves one shoulder as if trying to shrug. “She’s just saved my life. I should show her respect.”

Anita snorts but dips her head in understanding. “Yeah. But you know she’s never been the type for that. I mean-- I called her it a few times when we first met. She stopped me pretty quickly.”

“You two are close. “Friends” is different from “coworkers”. I will stop calling her it when she asks me to.”

“Fair enough.” Anita sighs and looks out over the group of them. “Ajay told me what she knows about the rescue headed for us. We’ve got at least an hour before they get to us. Think you can handle that?”

He smirks. “I’ve handled worse.”

She nods, leaning back on her hands. “Same here.”

* * *

Ajay is tired. She’d give anything to get some sleep, but she’s got to make sure everyone is still okay.

Her humanities work coming in handy in this way isn’t something she’d foreseen. Her medical degree seems to have paid off a few times over at this point. Her engineering one too.

Revenant’s legs are a lost cause while they’re out here. The legs themselves are in good shape, but the attachments, pins, various screws, and bolts are broken beyond repair. He’ll have to wait until they can get back.

Ajay is back and forth between the injured. Elliott has something wrong with his ankle. She can’t tell if it’s a bad sprain or if something is broken. Octane has a broken tooth, something she can’t fix, especially not here, and some glass in the cuts and scratches on his cheek. He won’t stay still long enough for her to get any out, so she leaves him to another doctor when they get back. Renee is much better about her injury. She stays still as Ajay does what she can for her. 

Caustic only asks for pain relievers. She has some in Doc’s storage, thankfully. Tae Joon is lucid, but his injury is worse than she’s told him. Panic wouldn’t help it. He also, thankfully, seems to know it’s serious enough not to move too much. Doc keeps him stable for now. He may need a transfusion when they get out of this.

Pathfinder might need some better work when they get back, but she has his arm moving again. Natalie seems less overstimulated now, but she’s left the headphones on. She’s sticking close to Renee’s side.

With a moment to breath and nothing left to do but wait for rescue, Ajay heads over to where Anita is still sitting with Tae Joon. Bloth joins her as she does.

“You are doing well, krútt. This would have gone worse had you not been here.”

Ajay smiles. “Thanks, renna. Got some practice with it in Frontier Corps.” She sighs. “Glad there aren’t bodies this time.”

She reaches Anita and takes the seat beside her. Tae Joon is resting in front of them; his breath is steady as he sleeps. Bloth sits on the other side of her.

“Hey again, Ajay,” Anita greets.

The medic smiles at her.

“You are part of the reason we are free of the dead,” Bloth comments. “Everyone here-- we all know how vital you were in this. Ve vill not forget. At the very least, I vill not.”

“Me either,” the soldier on the other side of her adds. “But I hope you’d know that by now.”

Ajay can feel some of her stress leave her with her girlfriend on one side and the closest thing she has to family on the other. It’ll be some time before she feels comfortable enough to get any sleep. She has to be ready should Tae Joon take a turn for the worse, or if whatever shot them down shows up.

She can’t wait for rescue to arrive.

Ajay takes a deep breath. “Since you two are joinin’ me for Tu B’shevat, what’re ya feelin’ for dinner? I got options.”

“I don’t care much. I can make the famous William’s apple pie though.”

With a grin, Ajay nods. “You know I like that.”

“I vas able to find a good wine for us to enjoy. As for dinner, you know what I am able to eat. I trust you to make something good.”

She hums. “I got some pomegranates I can use. I’ll get somethin’ cookin’.” She rests her head on Anita’s shoulder. “Least we got some time before the next game, yeah? Not like some of us can get back into it right now.”

There’s the sound of a gunshot.

All at once, everyone is on edge. Anita is one her feet in half a second, as is Bloth. It only takes Ajay half a second longer. All around the clearing the legends who can stand at the ready.

“Someone’s aiming at us,” Renee calls out.

There’s another gunshot and something hits the dirt in front of her, missing only because she had taken a step back.

"We need guns," Anita murmurs. It's a ridiculous thing to say. There's no chance of getting any.

"Everyone fall back an' get behind somethin'!" Ajay calls out. "Act like ya in the ring!" She grabs Anita's arm. "Get Crypto, we ain't leavin' him."

Anita immediately stoops and lifts him off the ground.

He starts and cringes in pain. He blurts out something in Korean but Anita doesn't have time to ask what.

"Doc, shielding out!"

Doc seems to beep angrily as a hard light shield is projected from her optic. A projectile hits it a moment later. Anita feels like she hadn't seen a bullet but a dart. There's no time to check as Ajay leads her and Bloth back behind some cover.

The other legends have already scrambled.

Ajay swears. "Dunno how we suppose t' fight back. Those damn rescue drones should be here any time now if they're comin'."

"Maybe we can hold out," Anita tries. "I can take just about anyone hand to hand, but the fight is in their favour when they've got a gun."

Bloth faces the direction of the shooter and hits something on their wrist. There's a flash of orange and a moment later they go still. In the ring, they can share their sight, but out here, it’s impossible. "There are more than we can take."

"We as in us four?" Anita asks. "Three since Park can't do anything. Or we as in every legend we've got?"

"Every legend." Bloth's voice is sombre. They pull a blade from their hip. "But I vill take out as many as I can if it gives you the chance to get away." Their gaze is on Ajay when they say this.

Ajay goes pale. "Nuh! We all gonna make it outta this, renna, ain't no one bein' a sacrifice!" She's got a scowl on as she peeks around the side of their cover. There's another gunshot, but it's been aimed at one of the other legends.

"How many, Bloth?"

Bloth doesn't answer.

"Bloth," Ajay says again. "How many?"

Bloth sighs. "I do not want to take away your hope."

A second shooter must join the first, and then a third, as the gunshots grow closer together and on top of each other.

"I… I have my drone," Tae Joon says quietly. "I can see where they are."

Ajay frowns. "I'd rather keep ya' from movin'. That's our final option if we can't think a' anything else."

There's a new sound besides the shots being taken at the legends. Engines.

The roar of engines comes from the direction of the dropship. The dropship itself is still sparking and, visible on the outside now, burning.

But as Ajay looks, she sees what they've been waiting for. The rescue transports.

They're here.

They pull up near the dropship. Their doors are already opening, already prepared to accept the survivors.

"Makoa!" Ajay shouts across.

"Yeah?" comes a response. 

"Rescue is here! Gotta get everyone over!"

Ajay's bit of cover is the furthest from the ship. She, as well as the other three with her, will have to dodge between cover to get there. She and Bloth are no problem, but Anita has Tae Joon with her. They aren't leaving anyone behind.

"Alright… Doc is gonna shield ya' again, sugar. Need you to get him to the ship safe, yeah?"

"Understood."

"Bloth, you an' me, we're runnin'."

“Okay.”

Ajay cracks her knuckles. “Any chance ya’ got any of your smokes on ya’, sugar?”

Anita frees a hand and digs in her pockets. “No. Sorry, doll.”

“S’all right. Ain’t your fault.” She shifts and brings Doc’s hard light shield back up. “Get goin’. Keep him safe.”

Anita heads off, moving slower with Doc shielding her.

Ajay watches as Path, with Natalie and Renee holding onto him, grapples over to one of the transports. Makoa runs to them, Revenant screaming curses from his shoulder, swearing death on those attacking them.

Ajay motions to Bloth. “You ready, renna?”

“I am vith you.”

More shots ring out as they run but nothing connects. Anita has made it to the cover closest to the transports. The first already has it’s door closed. It raises off the ground and shoots off into the distance. Makoa is blocking the door from the second. He’s gotten everyone else loaded on, it seems. The four of them are all that’s left. The third transport remains empty, doors raised.

There’s another shot and something pings off the side of the transport, next to Makoa’s hand.

“Go!” Ajay shouts. “We’ll be fine! Get on with ya’!”

“I ain’t leavin’ you!” he calls back.

“Go!” Anita yells. “You’re risking everyone on there with you!”

Makoa looks torn between getting off to help and ensuring who he has with him make it out of here. He takes a deep breath and Ajay half expects him to leap out. But he just yells out “I best see all four a’ you back home!” and then he lets the door close. His transport zooms off.

“Anita! Get ya’self on there! We’re right behind ya!”

“Way ahead of you!”

Ajay makes sure she’s at the transport before she looks to Bloth. They nod to her and together they make a dash for it. Ahead of them, Anita has just lifted Doc onto the transport.

Ajay has just reached Anita when Bloth cries out. She whips around to see them on the ground, struggling to stand back up.

“‘Nita, get this thing goin’,” she orders before running back to Bloth. She hooks their arm around her neck and drags them to their feet. “Told ya’ we all makin’ it! Ya’ ain’t stayin’ here!”

They try to speak, but it’s nothing more than a soft “leave--”.

She isn’t about to leave them.

Ajay pushes them up onto the rising transport. Anita grabs their arm and yanks them further up.

The transport is at chest level now. It’s still raising, set to get them away from here. Anita turns to offer her hand. Ajay reaches for it.

Something hits her in the back, a bright burning spot of pain.

The world swims before her.

She stumbles back. Her balance is gone. Where's the ship? She can’t-- She can’t tell which way is up or forward or...

"Ajay!" comes a panicked call.

"'Nita?" Her own voice sounds distant as if she's hearing it from down a tunnel.

"Ajay, what are you doing? Get on!"

Her vision calms a touch, enough for her to see Anita reaching to her from the transport that's higher off the ground that she can reach. Ajay reaches up to take the offered hand--

There's another gunshot, and another bright spot of pain erupts on the back of her neck. The world is sent reeling around her, all chaos and colour. Her legs give out. She hears one more desperate cry of her name.

The world goes dark.


	2. Taking Action

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the only thing I've had a muse to write for lately, which sucks, cause I get paid for some of my other stuff.
> 
> I've also realized it's hard to indulge in Lifelore when I've sent Ajay to perdition but eh. I'll manage.

It just keeps replaying in Anita's head.

She sees Ajay stumble. She hears her own voice yelling to her.

She sees Ajay crumple to the ground, far out of reach.

She sees the doors close.

She sees herself frantically trying to take control of the craft to no avail.

She sees Tae Joon going still but for his breathing.

She sees Bloth slump against the wall of the craft.

And then it replays.

Over and over it loops, showing her exactly how she failed. It wasn't enough for her to be the only conscious person on that rescue transport, locked in flashbacks of her brother. No, she's going to suffer here too.

Ajay's apartment is cold and empty. Anita had gone here, rather than home, after getting checked out by a doctor. Most of the other legends had stayed in the hospital. Tae Joon had needed a blood transfusion, Caustic had needed a cast, and Elliott had needed Xrays of his ankle. Everyone had been urged to take a night at the hospital, apart from the robots among them, but Anita had denied it. She has no interest in being around anyone right now.

Anita had called a cab and headed to what's been her home away from home for a while now; Ajay's apartment.

Ajay had let the commissioners find her housing, the only stipulation being it needed to be near her clinic. They had set her up in a private building with a doorman and some fancy security system.

The doorman knows Anita at this point, so she didn't need to stop home for keys or anything.

And now she's sitting in the dark, replaying everything that's happened.

She hasn't bothered to turn the light on. She hasn't bothered to move or change or… anything.

Anita is just sitting in the dark.

Eventually, she manages to push herself up from the couch. She feels like a ghost, passing through the environment but just  _ not there _ . She showers but feels no water. She barely realizes she's done it. She doesn't eat. It's been nearly twelve hours since her last meal, but she simply doesn't feel hungry. Right now, it might be accurate to say she doesn't feel.

It's as she lays down in bed, Ajay's bed, that everything crashes into her.

Ajay is gone. She’s missing.

Anita sobs. All at once it hits her like a freight train. Ajay Che, the woman she loves, is gone. 

Anita is alone again.

She cries. She can't stop herself. The world seems to have decided to break her every way it can. She's alone apart from the photos on the walls. If Ajay is gone, she-- she has  _ no one _ . Her family is so far away. She has friends, yes, but they feel like nothing compared to the woman she's come to see as home.

Anita hates crying. It's easier now than even a year ago, but it still makes her feel weak. Her past bouts of crying had rarely been with her alone. Ajay would hold her through it and help her feel better. She'd listen and comfort and make Anita feel loved.

But now Anita is alone again. Now Anita has no one.

Anita can't decide if it's better or worse to be in Ajay's bed. It smells like her. It’s a comfort in some ways but also a reminder that she’s not there.

Something Anita doesn’t understand is how she hasn’t gotten used to this. She’s a soldier. She has a list of men and women who were friends that had died in battle, some who had disappeared never to be found again. And then there’s her brother…

Anita sobs harder than ever. This isn’t how things are supposed to be.

Eventually, she falls into a troubled sleep, filled with nightmares of Jackson, Ajay, and all the people she’s lost in her career.

* * *

Bloth lays out their armour on the table before them. They have not gone to the hospital or allowed the check-up that the other legends were subjected to.

They have something to figure out.

Ajay is missing. They know this. They had barely had time to process Anita’s voice calling to Ajay before their senses were taken from them and they fell into unconsciousness. She had been alone in the pain of loss, and for that Bloth is sorry, but something had taken their senses.

They flip the main body of their armour over and search for the area they were struck.

Bloth does their best to keep their mind on the task. If they don’t, they risk thinking on what is happening. They need to keep their mind sharp to confirm their suspicions.

But it’s hard not to think about.

Ajay is gone. The one person they’ve found who they can trust, who they see as family, is gone. She is alive, Bloth is certain. They would know if she was gone, certainly. The Allfather would send a sign. They believe that with every fibre of their being.

Bloth realizes they’re shaking. They step back from the table and pull off their mask.

Normally, when they feel like this, they turn to either Ajay or Elliott for some stability. Elliott, however, is in the hospital after everything that’s happened. He needs, at minimum, a cast for his injury. If he's unlucky, he needs surgery. Because of this, Bloth doesn't have access to him right now, no matter how much they need him.

And Ajay… Ajay is the one they're panicking over.

She's out there, most likely hurt, possibly taken by those that attacked. They know this place. The wilds here are unforgiving. With every passing moment she is alone out there, there is a higher chance of her being killed. A higher chance of them losing her permanently.

Bloth takes a deep, shuddering breath. They must control themself. They can't let the panic take them. If their uncle was strong for them, then Bloth can be strong for Ajay.

The thought of Artur is grounding. He had been strong. He had kept them safe until they could protect themself and others. They are still here, even if he is not. They can still protect people. They can save Ajay.

Bloth wipes away their tears and returns to their armour. They have a hunch on what happened. They slip their mask back in place and bring their hands over the thick fabric. They will find what they need to know. Once they are finished, they will prepare for their trek.

Bloth finds what they are looking for stuck into the thicker seam of their outfit. It's a short, empty syringe. From the marks on it, and its general shape, Bloth knows it to be a tranquillizer dart. They had been struck with it, filled with something fast-acting and nauseating, before Ajay had grabbed them and pushed them onto the ship.

She could have gotten out if it were not for them.

They shut the thought down and refocus on the dart. Ajay was likely shot with one as well. This would mean whoever had done this was looking to catch, rather than kill. The reasons behind it are beyond them.

Ajay has to be alive.

With this revelation, Bloth knows what they must do. To abandon family is wretched. So they will go into the wilderness and they will slatra the ones who caused this. Alone, if they must.

But first, they must plan. They will need passage out to the crashed dropship, lest they waste time getting out to it. It would take days. No, they will need assistance in it. The commissioners may have people looking for her, but none will find her. They are certain. Help from them is nothing Bloth needs.

Instead, they will look to the people they have kept company with in recent times. The other legends may not all be able to help, but they may have skills in assisting them to reach the crashed dropship.

First, they will pack. They will be prepared to leave as soon as possible. Second, they will give themself one night of rest.

And then they will visit their fellow legends and make a plan.

* * *

Anita finds herself sitting on the couch in Ajay’s living room. She barely slept. She’s not really paying attention to what’s on.

The news drones on. Anita can't help but listen.

"Sources confirm that popular Legend Ajay Che, also known as Lifeline, was not recovered after the crash. Reports say that, while last seen alive, additional rescue teams have not been able to find her in the wreckage of the dropship. No word yet on if there was foul play. No surviving Legends have agreed to comment at this time."

Surviving legends? Ajay is alive, she-- she  _ has _ to be. Anita can’t do this again; she hasn’t even made it past the first time. What more could fuel her nightmares?

Listening to the news is probably bad for her right now. It's rare for the media to be kind to the legends, especially the women among them. This is somewhat different, being a true news report rather than one of those social media fueling “news” shows. The amount of rumours that have sprung up due to those kinds of shows is disgusting. She’s never seen even an iota of truth on them.

There's a knock on the door and Anita starts. She’s not sure who would know she’s here. And by now, anyone who pays attention to the games knows Ajay is missing.

She checks the security camera that's routed to the television. Ajay never uses it, but Anita finds it a comfort to have.

Makoa is standing outside the door. He’s got his hands in his pockets and he’s frowning. He looks tired.

Anita sighs and gets up. There’s a very short list of people Anita would’ve gotten up for. He’s one of two.

She feels like she doesn’t have the energy to move but she makes it to the door.

Anita opens it, but she doesn’t say anything to him. She just heads back to the couch and sits.

Makoa looks worried. It’s obvious as to why. Ajay has always been good at making friends, so of course, Makoa is one of them. They’re pretty close, as far as Anita knows. But when it comes to Ajay, you could say that about anyone. She, like Makoa, is just like that.

Makoa purses his lips and sits in the empty armchair by the couch. "Anita… I was worried about you," he finally says. "You… took the brunt of it, I think."

"Park is in the hospital," Anita bites back. "I've just got bruises."

"You know I'm not talking physically, Anita."

She doesn't look at him. She's-- She's fine. She has to lie to herself like that to stay together in front of him. She can make it through this, she just can't think about it. She doesn’t-- She hates being in this position. Alone is one thing. In front of Ajay is another. But no, she can’t break down in front of Makoa.

He sighs. "Beside Bloth, you were the closest with Ajay. Everyone knows that. And-- and seeing it. What happened. You can't be functioning well after that."

_ Were _ , as if she's dead. She isn't. She can't be.

Anita slams her fist on the arm of the couch. "I don't want to talk about it!" She can’t.

Makoa rubs a hand over his face. "Okay. But… answer this for me. You and Ajay. Were you together?"

_ Are _ , they  _ are _ together.

"How I feel about Ajay doesn't matter here," she growls out.

Makoa gives her a long look. She meets his eyes just to prove she can. After a moment he says, "It matters. It always matters. Maybe even more than it did a week ago."

Anita doesn’t know how to respond to that. What she feels doesn’t change things. She could tell the whole world how she feels, tell every planet between here and Earth that she’s absolutely head over heels for one Miss Ajay Che, but it wouldn’t bring her back. It wouldn’t help find her.

How she feels is pointless.

“It doesn’t,” she answers angrily. “She’s not going to magically appear if I say it.”

He sighs. “She won’t. But it might make you feel better.”

Anita can’t look at him. “Makoa, I’ve already come to terms with how I feel about her. I know  _ exactly _ how I feel. But I’m… I’m sitting on my ass as she’s just… lost. So, thanks for checking on me, I guess, but unless you can tell me how the fuck I can get her back, I don’t care.”

Makoa doesn’t seem to know how to answer that. He thinks for a long moment. Somehow, he doesn’t seem offended by what she’s said.

He finally speaks. “Okay. I wanted to check in on you, but you need space. I can respect that… If something changes with all this, or I hear anything, I’ll let you know.” He stands up and heads for the door. In the moment before he leaves, he adds, "If you want to talk, you know where I'll be."

And then he's gone.

Anita takes in a shaky breath. She feels like she’s about to break down again. She hates it.

But if there’s anything she’s realized from his visit, it’s that she needs to do something. Why is she just sitting here, wasting time? She should be out there with the search teams. The commissioners have people looking, why can't she be out there too?

Anita is done with her pity party. She's done crying and feeling like shit. Ajay is out there and needs to be found. The apartment feels cold and empty without her. Anita needs to get her back.

So that’s just what she’ll do.

* * *

Bloth gives one last look over their gear. They are prepared as they can be.

The hospital asks no questions of Bloth visiting with the legends there. It’s a perk of being a celebrity, they suppose.

All of the legends are in a private wing of the hospital, complete with security. It’s another checkpoint Bloth has no issue passing. There’s a growing group of fans being held back by security, many of whom attempt to yell to Bloth as they pass. They pay them no mind.

Bloth goes to Elliott first.

He’s reclined on the hospital bed with his bandaged ankle on a pillow. The end table beside him is covered in various “Get well soon” balloons and assorted cards from fans and the like. He’s a fan favourite and likes to indulge in gifts sent by those from his fan club.

“Bloth!” he says happily at seeing them. “Everyone said you weren’t hurt, so I assumed you wouldn’t be at the hospital.”

“I stopped to see you before I left,” Bloth states. They want to get to the point. They have no intention of hiding what they’re doing.

Elliott sighs. “You’re going to look for Ajay.”

Bloth removes their mask and gives him a smile. “You know me vell.”

He shrugs. “Yeah, well, Makoa told me what happened. Well, what he was able to gl, ga-- figure out.”

“You are nervous.” He always trips over his words when his anxiety goes up.

“Of course I’m nervous, babe. There’s a lot of scary shit out there. And we don’t even know if she’s alive.”

Bloth practically flinches at that. “She is alive,” they manage after a moment. “I believe she has been taken by our attackers.”

Elliott looks uneasy. He’s holding back in the things he’s saying. “Why?”

“I vas tranquillized. I believe she vas to. I found the dart in what I had been wearing.” Bloth closes their eyes and takes a deep breath. “The Allfather vould tell me if she was gone. I am certain of this.”

Rather than argue, Elliott nods. “Okay. I trust you.” He frowns and holds a hand out. Bloth takes it. “You’ll be careful?”

“As I can be.” They squeeze his hand.

“Keep in contact? Please.”

“Vhen I can. It is not alvays easy to get a signal out there. But I vill not abandon Ajay.”

Elliott looks away, but he leaves his hand in theirs. “I know. She’s family for you. I get that.” He meets their eyes. “This all sucks pretty bad, huh?”

Bloth can’t help but chuckle. “You are right.” They close their eyes and take in a deep breath. “She would have made it home had she not gone back for me.”

He seems almost panicked by this statement. “Hey, Ajay would not be okay with you taking respi-- resb-- with you taking the blame! She-- I bet you she did what she thought was best: keeping those she cares about safe.” He tugs at them a bit, trying to get closer without moving his ankle. “Her first instinct is always to help. She never would’ve made the choice to leave you.”

“I know. But I must find her.” Bloth opens their eyes and looks over Elliott. “Have they decided what needs to be done with your ankle?”

“Surgery. I’ll have crutches for a few weeks after.” He gives Bloth a crooked smile. “It’s necess-- nes-- It’s needed. That or walk with a limp and chronic pain.”

“You vill be fine,” Bloth assures.

Elliott frowns. “Will  _ you _ be?”

Bloth chuckles. “Yes. I know the land here. I will return to you when I’ve found Ajay.” They release his hand and slip their mask back on. “I must go see Park.” They lean their forehead to Elliott’s and hold it there for a moment. “Stay safe, elskan.”

“You first.”

Bloth manages to pull themself away and depart with little more fanfare. They will see him again when they return.

Next, they must see Park.

Makoa is already in Tae Joon’s room. Park had been the most injured of the legends. Bloth had seen the damage. Ajay had done her best for him at the time, but he had needed more than she had with her.

Park seems awake and lucid. He’s laying back in bed looking tired but bored. Makoa is seated by the bed talking to him in a low voice. He goes silent as Bloth enters the room.

“How are you feeling?” Bloth asks first.

Park shrugs but grimaces as he does. “Lucky. I could have died.”

They nod. “There is a person who ensured you did not. I have… come to ask you to help me find her.”

Makoa looks startled and starts to stand. “He isn’t in the condition to go looking--”

“Makoa,” Park interrupts. “Let me hear them out. If I can help, I will.”

Makoa sits back down, looking worried.

Bloth steadies themself and explains. “Ajay is alive. I am certain of this. I believe those that attacked us have taken her. I intend to get her back.” They move in closer. “I am in need of your help. Not to join me, but I need a vay out to the crash site.”

“You intend to go alone?” Makoa asks.

“If I must. Alone, I can ensure stealth.”

“You should have someone to watch your back.” He seems worried about this. “One person against who knows how many?”

Bloth has considered this. They had seen the number of people moving in on the downed dropship. They have confidence in their ability to stealth, but having someone help would be beneficial. Especially if Ajay is injured.

“I do not know who vould be villing to join me. But I am going no matter what.”

Park stirs and reaches for his phone. “I believe I can get you to the crash site. I will need something from home first, but I can help.” He looks to Makoa. “I’ll send you the list, if you would get it for me.”

“Of course!” Makoa stands again and starts towards the door. He stops though, and turns to clap a hand on Bloth’s shoulder. “Listen. I’m not great at keepin’ a low profile, or else I’d go with you. But… I went to see Anita earlier. She seems to be itchin’ to do something to get Ajay back. She’s got the skill, so you might see if she’ll go with.”

Bloth nods. “Thank you.”

“‘Course.”

With that, Makoa heads out of the door.

Park can’t sit up, but he’s poking around on his phone. “You should go see if Anita will go. Come back after, and I will have a way for you to get you out there. Be prepared to leave.”

* * *

Anita can feel it on the edges of her mind. She’s back at her place, trying to pack to leave, but flashbacks are lying in wait just out of reach. She’s grown familiar with the feeling of an oncoming flashback. It’s frustrating because she doesn’t want to be interrupted, she doesn’t want to be kept from going after Ajay, but if she doesn’t do something to try and put it off, she could be out of it for a while.

She’s been coached in how to handle it if she’s alone. It doesn’t always help, but it’s better than doing nothing. As every other thing has been in the last day, it’s easier with Ajay. She’s gotten good at getting Anita to focus on the now and not slip back into painful memories.

Without Ajay, she’ll have to figure it out herself.

Anita’s favourite way of coping is usually visiting the gym. Building a burn in her muscles and keeping her body at a state she’s proud of is what she’s best at anyway. She hates dealing with negative emotions, but it helps if she gets some of it out with weights or with a long run.

She doesn’t have time for that right now.

Instead, she uses tricks that have been offered to her before.

Anita starts by taking steady, deep breaths. One full in, one full out. Repeat. It’s easy to do and it gives her something to focus on.

Next, she grounds herself. She counts out four things she can see: the couch pillow, the photo of her family on the wall, a book she’s left on the coffee table, and the kettlebell she’s got in the corner. And then three things she can feel: the tough plastic of the MREs, the same pillow on the couch, and the carpet beneath her feet. Next is two things she can smell: the dust off the duffle bag she's packing, and the spice of the candle on the coffee table. Last is a taste, so she focuses on marching into the kitchen and grabbing the first food she finds: an apple from the bowl on the counter. It makes her nauseous, but she realizes she hasn't eaten today and forces it down.

She feels better, but only a touch, so she starts counting backwards from a hundred by three. It'll distract her enough for her to get her things together.

Anita mumbles numbers to herself as she places two handguns in her bag, safely packed. She's decided on a full kit P2020 and wingman. Pistols are easier to bring, and it'll let her pack plenty of ammo. She's hoping not to need it. If she's lucky, she can get to Ajay and out again without encountering whoever shot them down.

"Seventy-three, seventy, sixty-seven," she says louder now to stop the train of thought that comes from the fact they'd been shot down.

She attaches the duffle bag to the underside of her bug out bag, a pre-packed bag that she always keeps in case of emergency.

With that, Anita thinks she's as prepared as she can be. She doesn't know this planet well, but she's good at surviving. That'll have to be enough.

Anita heads for the door. She pushes it open and nearly collides with Bloodhound. They're looking semi-startled and have a hand up as if they'd been about to knock.

She blinks, not exactly having expected them. "Uh-- Bloodhound?"

They seem to look her over. She looks ready. Prepared.

"You vere about to head out to look for her, yes?" They don't wait for an answer. "Good. Park is getting us transport. If you vould come with me to the hospital, he vill tell us our next step."

Oh. She's not going to be alone in this.

That's good.

And Bloth, they care about Ajay too. Of course they'd want her back.

They don’t say anything else and Anita doesn’t break the silence. She locks her door and follows behind them.

Some of her anxiety settles. There’s a better chance now, with the two of them.

She hadn’t had a plan past “get out there”. She’s been too preoccupied focused on the goal of getting Ajay at all. It’s as they reach the hospital that she asks, “How are we doing this?”

Bloth instructs her to leave her things in the vehicle as they go in. “I can track her, or who may have taken her. Stealth is important.”

“You think she’s been taken?” Anita cuts in.

“There have been rescuers out there for hours. She fell just outside the transport. Someone took her. Likely those that attacked.” Their voice is low to keep people from overhearing what they’re saying. “I vas shot by a tranquillizer. I do not believe Ajay to be dead. Not from being shot.”

Part of Anita rejoices at that but part of her is filled with fear. Bloth, an incredibly skilled individual, believes Ajay alive. But the phrasing… She’s not dead from being shot. That doesn’t mean she’s not dead.

“Together, you and I will bring her back,” Bloth continues. “And visit whatever wrath we can upon the people you did it.” Their voice has dropped into something angry and dark. Anita can understand that.

“That’s our plan?”

“Ve can do no more with little information.” Bloth sighs. “Perhaps Park vill have more for us.”

Tae Joon is still laying in bed when they arrive, but he’s got what looks like a simple tablet in his hands. He doesn’t look up when they enter, but Makoa does. He’s returned to his seat beside the hacker’s hospital bed.

“Good t’ see you back, bruddas,” Makoa greets. “I think he’s got you a ride.”

Anita can’t meet Makoa’s gaze. She instead gives her attention to Crypto.

It takes nearly a full minute before Park talks.

“I’m sending you an address, Bloth. Be there in an hour, and you’ll find your ride.” Park sets the tablet aside. “May I see your phones?”

Bloth hands theirs over right away. It’s an older, heavier model. They likely use it rarely and only for communication. It’s a bit dinged up and without a case.

Anita is a little slower in passing hers over. It’s a sport model of a newer phone. She’d gotten it as a gift. It’s water-resistant and has a heavy case on it. She uses it for quite a bit, but no more than the average person.

It’s as it leaves her hand that she remembers her wallpaper is Ajay.

Park doesn’t mention it.

He messes with both phones, picks his tablet back up for a moment, and then back to the phones. A few minutes later, he hands them back.

“No one will be able to track you unless you want them to.” Park shows them more that he’s done; how to turn tracking back on so they can get an extract once they have Ajay, and subrosa communication so they can contact Park should they need to. He, in the time it took Bloth to go get Anita, has more thought out than expected. He’s practised in this sort of thing.

“As long as you can get a signal, you can get a message to me. I will do what I can on my end. I hacked one of the transports that they sent for us in the crash. Get to it, and it will bring you just outside of the dropship’s vicinity. You will have to avoid the rescue team that’s currently out there, but I do not see them being an issue.” Park sighs. “Bring her back, so I can thank her for helping me.”

“We will,” Anita says solemnly. She doesn’t know what she’ll do if they can’t.

“You two best get going,” Makoa chimes in. “If you’ve got all you need.”

Bloth looks to Anita. She nods.

“No time to waste.”

* * *

Ajay wakes up.

It's slow, but she stirs a bit. Her movement manages to pull at a sore spot on her back. She winces and opens her eyes. The room around her is dark.

It takes her a few long seconds to remember what happened to her. It's almost painful to recall. She can still see Anita reaching for her, hear her scream out her name. She’s sure it’ll hit her harder when she can think more clearly.

Ajay manages to sit up.

There's a sore spot on her back that's a bit swollen. Its twin is on the back of her neck. Those are where she'd been shot, then. Her guess is tranquillizer darts of some sort.

She blinks the blurriness from her vision before letting her eyes adjust. She's been unceremoniously dumped onto a cot in the corner. She feels horrible. Her muscles all ache, likely from the exertion in the ring, but it's more. She feels like she has a bad hangover after a metric ton of drinks during a night out.

But no, she isn't that lucky.

Ajay can only hope the rest of the legends made it home. Anita and Bloth… she needs them to be okay.

She's slow to push herself up. Her head swims and she can barely breathe for a moment. When it settles again, she realizes there's a sink in front of her. She realizes she's parched. Likely dehydrated too. She scrambles to turn it on and thanks the stars when it works. She drinks from it, using only her hand to cup water up to her mouth.

Once sated as she can be, Ajay turns her attention to the room again.

Everything seems to be military in make but well dated. There’s a cot, a sink, and in the corner with a small privacy wall, a toilet. The door is heavy metal, matching the walls around her. In the centre has a square cut out with a loose cover, as though as a way to pass something through the door.

This is a cell.

“You awake?” The voice is just outside the door. “Good. Here’s what’s going to happen. You’re gonna stay in there until someone from the games pays us what we want.”

“And after that?” She keeps her voice calm and unflinching.

“After that? We’ll just have to see.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Find me on tumblr as Chloe-gayzer or A-Softer-Apex.


	3. On the Trail

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> remember when i wrote short chapters and updated often instead of putting my energy into 6k of screaming. no, you don't, i don't post on fanfiction dot net anymore.
> 
> Also! There's torture in this chapter. So you know.

They bring Ajay food later in the day. She gets no more information out of them, not even a name.

She's left to sit in the silence of her lone cell.

As far as she can tell, this is an old IMC holding cell. There have been some modifications to it; there's the hole in the door, for instance. As far as she can tell, there had been a place to pass things into the room there originally, but it must not have been satisfactory to the current inhabitants of… wherever she is. It's crude now, but it still works to pass food into the room. It’s maybe a dozen centimetres tall, and twice that in width.

She's searched the room as well as she can without raising suspicions. There's one camera in the room that she's fairly certain is functional. It's positioned in such a way that it can see nearly the whole room, save for a blind spot where the toilet is. She'll have privacy there at least.

Ajay tries to think of what she could do to get her out of here, but she feels as though right now she can only wait.

She's never been good with boredom. It doesn't help that every noise makes her jump. The silence, but for those occasional ambient sounds, grates on her too. 

At home, she always has music playing. There's a speaker system in her apartment that'd been gifted to her by a sponsor. She uses it every day with more types of music than she can count. All she has to do is set up a playlist and let it cycle through. It keeps her days from being quiet. 

There’s no such luxury here. She huddles, exhausted, in the corner of the room on her cot. Her back hurts, as does the spot on her neck.

She eventually falls into a fitful sleep.

* * *

The ride is silent but for the hum of the engine. They’re moving fast, but they’ve still got some time before they reach the dropship.

Anita is sat on the floor with her back against one of the seats. Her supplies are in the seat behind her. The movement of the vehicle is helping her settle. Her anxiety is pooling into something she can barely feel under her anger, but she’s well aware it could drown her at any moment.

Bloth is seated across from her, sharpening their hunting knife.

Anita isn’t really surprised that Bloth had decided to go after Ajay. Ajay isn’t quiet about her friendships and when it comes to Bloth, it’s more than that. They seem to be what she and Anita pretend at: best friends that have each other’s back. Anita is fairly certain Ajay has even seen Bloth’s face.

Anita has noticed, as of recent times, they have names for each other that she doesn’t recognize. “Renna”, Ajay calls Bloth, and gets called something Anita can’t remember in return. Something with a k sound.

“I got a question,” she says out loud.

Bloth tilts their head up, which she assumes means they’re looking at her.

“Those… The things you and Ajay call each other. Renna and… K… The other one. What do they mean?”

Bloth seems to consider the question for a moment. “Krútt is a term you might use on a child or someone younger than you vith whom you are family. Renna is…” They pause and seem to think for a moment. “It is a familial term vithout gender. You could use it for one who is older than you, a parent, the sibling of a parent, or perhaps an older cousin if they are close.” The sheath their knife. “They are terms from my home. I… I am lucky enough that she thinks of me as family and I vanted her to know that I felt the same.”

Anita nods. "She's mentioned how much she cares about you."

"She has said the same of you." Their tone makes it sound like they want to say more, but they refrain.

Anita wonders if it's that question she's certain that someone is going to ask eventually. Makoa nearly had, just after the crash. And then he  _ had  _ finally asked at Ajay's apartment that morning. It's been long enough now that it would be surprising if no one noticed the relationship Anita has with Ajay. Sometimes it's hard for Anita to refrain from doing something, saying something, while the two of them are in public. They've nearly slipped up more than once. Some tabloids have guessed at their relationship, but never the ones with real sources. If any reputable place had gotten anything, it would have been something to worry about.

Anita would shout it to the world if it meant she'd have Ajay back. She wouldn't care about the media or the questions from reporters if she could just hold her again.

Anita is a whirl of emotions. She feels restless cooped up in the transport, but soon enough, she can get to hunting down Ajay. It shouldn't be much longer now.

* * *

The next time Ajay wakes up, it's because someone is tapping on the door.

"Hey, uh-- more food. Dinner," says a fairly uneasy voice.

She moves a touch and grimaces at the pull on her sore spots. She hangs back from the door. The earlier food she'd gotten had been unceremoniously shoved through the gap in the door to hit the ground. It had been packaged thankfully, but still. She's not sure how close she wants to get to the door.

"It's-- It's just an MRE," the voice goes on. "But it's not bad. They're pretty normal fair around here."

He sounds young, whoever he is. Younger than she is, most likely.

He offers the plate through but doesn't drop it. It's all still packaged, but this time she's being given a styrofoam plate and real utensils. Just a fork and a spoon, but they're actual metal. She'd been expected to eat with her hands earlier.

Ajay hesitates, but she does take it.

"Thanks," she says quietly. It feels odd not to say it, but it also feels odd to thank one of her captors.

"No problem," he replies quietly.

She doesn't hear him walk away. "You on watch duty now?"

She expects no answer, but he gives one. "Yeah. They don't think I can hunt, so I stay here." There's a moment of silence. "What's it like being a legend?"

Ajay snorts. Really? Well, some interaction is better than none. "Usually pretty fun. Keeps my clinic running. I get invites to all sorts a' parties."

"Do you go?"

"Only the interestin' ones." She puts some attention into opening her food. "Probably way less than the blogs like to say. I prefer hangin' with friends. Or workin' at my clinic."

“Are the other legends nice?”

Ajay raises an eyebrow. “Some.” She purses her lips. “You seem pretty young t’ be in a place like this.”

“I’m not that young,” he responds.

“Always too young t’ kidnap, kid.”

He seems too ashamed to respond to that.

She sighs. “Can ya’ at least tell me if any a’ the others were hurt? Then ya’ can ask me whateva’ ya’ want ‘bout my job.”

“We only got you,” he says softly. “The boss was really mad about it. He said we should’ve gotten more of you.” 

Ajay lets out a sigh of relief. The others are safe. If she was the only one grabbed, it’s likely everyone else is safe at home. Park needed help from a hospital; her training had only kept him holding on. And the others… Anita is okay. Bloth is okay. Makoa, Renee, Natalie… they’re all okay. She has reason to believe that now.

“Y’all asked for ya’ money yet?” she asks. She’s not sure if she’ll get this answer. But she’s going to try for what information she can.

“I don’t know,” he admits. “I’m not really told about that stuff. We were just told we were waiting for ransom and then we would--” He cuts himself off. “And, and then we’re going to give you back.”

Ajay frowns. “You sure about that?”

He doesn’t answer for a moment. His voice is a near whisper. “Yeah…”

Ajay doesn’t like the sound of that. It, coupled with the original man’s statement the first time she’d woken up, makes her think she’s unlikely to get home if they have anything to say about it. She knows life out here is hard, but to kidnap someone and to have no intention to return them...

If she gets a chance to slip away, she’s going to take it.

“What’s ya’ name, kid?”

He hesitates. He’s probably wondering if he should tell her.

“Julian,” he answers finally.

“I can’t say it’s good t’ meetcha, given how circumstances are. N’ you already got my name.” She sits on the edge of the cot and digs into her food. “Alright, Julian. If ya’ got questions about being a legend, best ask ‘em.”

* * *

The transport stops.

Bloth stands and takes a steadying breath. “Ve must go.”

Anita looks a bit uneasy, but she doesn’t hesitate in standing and slinging her bag onto her back. She doesn’t say anything. Bloth assumes she’s still dealing with the truth of this. They know her to be strong, both in combat and otherwise, but this is likely affecting her rather strongly.

“Remain quiet. I need you to stay hidden while I find the trail. Once found, ve vill go.”

It looks as if she’s going to argue about staying hidden, but she ends up giving a curt nod. “Okay.”

As soon as they climb out of the transport, it zooms off.

Bloth leads Anita to a little area she can stay hidden. It’s tucked back behind a rock with some tree cover.

With her waiting, Bloth heads out. They crest one of the hills surrounding the crash site. Keeping a low profile, they can see over the remains of the dropship. It seems like some of it has been stripped down. They have no idea how to tell if it’s the attackers who’ve taken from it or if it’s a dismantling from the people who run the games. They would bet the former.

There’s evidence of much more movement here. Even from the distance, they can tell many people have been in this area since the crash. The ground is riddled with footprints in the mud. They can’t differentiate a legend’s marks from a rescuer from an enemy.

There aren’t any rescuers here now. There’s evidence of them, from the tape marking off the area and a few trails leading out from the ship.

Have they given up so soon? Ajay is worth money to them, certainly they would look longer than a few hours.

The first place Bloth goes to is where they had sensed the group when scanning the first time.

The assailants had placed forward snipers while the rest of the group hung back. It had been too many; the legends would have had more losses had they fought. It doesn’t help that they had no real weapons.

They find the area fairly easy. It’s had rescuers on it as well, but the footprints are more obviously different.

Bloth follows many trails, mentally marking off those that bear no fruit. The ease, however, in which they find evidence of a vehicle helps. It’s an older model vehicle, shown just by the fact it has wheels. They don’t know enough about vehicles to dictate anything about it from it’s tracks, but they can see that the tangle of footprints from the attackers ends here.

Together, they will be able to follow this with Anita.

Bloth returns to her to find her restlessly shifting back and forth on her feet. She starts at seeing them.

“I was about to go find you. Park messaged.”

“Vhat did he say?”

“He looked into some things. Late last night, there was a…” She takes a deep breath. She looks angry and her eyes are red like she’s about to cry. “There was a message sent to-- it doesn’t matter. One of the higher-ups, that’s not the important part. It was a fucking ransom.”

Bloth doesn’t respond. Anita goes on.

“They, they sent proof of life and a demand for money.” She looks livid. “You were right. They took her.”

Bloth focuses on breathing for a moment. “They vill regret it.”

“You found the trail?”

“I did.” They offer out a hand.

Anita meets their grip and clasps their forearm. “Let’s get her back.”

* * *

Ajay is curled up on her cot. She’s plotting, thinking of anything and everything she might do to get out of here. She doesn’t trust she’ll be returned to her home if the payment is made. That’s if the payment is made. It would require many people finding her worth enough. A sad reality in the games, but she knows it’s true.

She had managed to get a little bit of info out of Julien. It’s not terribly helpful, but it’s more than nothing. The building they’re in is an abandoned IMC outpost. There’s a good deal of men living here, all who seem fairly unsavoury. They treat Julien poorly, at least.

She’s got some semblance of a plan.

Her only tools are the silverware Julian had given her for her food. She’s looked over her cell as much as she could without arousing suspicion. She’s not certain the camera works, as having a guard set up right outside her cell suggests it doesn’t, but she doesn’t want to take that risk.

Her options seem to be waiting for an opening or prying the metal from the walls with her fork.

Ajay supposes she could make her own opening. The small wall next to the toilet might be enough to hide her from view long enough to raise suspicion. If they were to open the door, she could risk fighting her way out. She doesn’t really have anything for a weapon. Anita’s got her some training with some martial arts, but that’s not exactly a guarantee with the state of her. 

Ajay is tired. She aches where she’d been shot and the rest she’s gotten hasn’t helped. It can barely be called rest. She’s unable to sleep without every noise making her think they’re coming for her.

One way she knows she can attempt an escape is if the guard for her cell leaves for a bit. She’s pretty sure she can get her arm out the opening of the door where her food is passed through. If she can do that, she might be able to pull down the keypad that accesses the door. She’s smart enough to short it out and get the door open.

All she needs is to get out of the cell. After that, she can play it by ear. Even if all she does is get a message to someone, it will have been worth it.

For hours, Ajay lays there. She can’t find it in herself to do anything but wait. The near omnipresent song stuck in her head seems to be gone. She can’t think of any to distract her, either. That alone shows how much stress she’s in, curled up on a military cot in a crappy cell.

Ajay manages a little more sleep, but she can’t tell how much more. She certainly doesn’t feel rested when the sound of footsteps jerks her awake. She finds it’s her guard leaving his post.

Well, better to act quickly than to stay here.

Ajay has no idea how much time she has, no idea if now is when she should act, but she knows she’s going to take the risk. Right now is when she’s feeling her best. She’s hydrated and fed. The poor rest she’s had is better than no rest.

She darts forward and shoves her arm through the hole in the door. It takes her a moment to get oriented. She finds what must be the keypad and pulls at it. It feels loose, but she can’t manage to get it off the wall. She pulls her hand back in and grabs the spoon she’d been given.

Ajay tries again. This time, with the leverage of the spoon, she manages to get it off the wall. She pulls it within view and examines what she can see. It’s difficult with limited vision and her main tool being a spoon, but she has no intention of staying here. Minutes pass and her anxiety raises. Her guard hasn’t come back-- Julien had left some time ago, this one hadn’t given her the light of day.

She’s halfway through an attempt to strip a wire down when she hears footsteps coming back.

She swears internally before abandoning the attempt. Instead, she quickly dodges behind the wall by the toilet and hopes she can’t be seen.

The footsteps grow closer and then stop.

“Shit,” comes a voice. There’s a pause, and then a harsher, “Fuck! Where the hell is she?”

Ajay keeps her breathing as quiet as she can as she hears him shuffle around outside. There’s the soft beeping of buttons being pressed and then the door to her cell opens.

Ajay braces herself, clutching the fork in one hand.

The steps grow closer and--

He checks under the cot first. His mistake.

She launches herself forward and wraps an arm around his throat. He manages a single surprised cry before she cuts off his air supply and stabs the fork into the soft flesh of his throat above his collarbone. She’s certain it should be harder to do, with how dull it is, but there isn’t time to think on it now. He struggles, hands clawing at the one around his neck.

Ajay tightens her grip and holds it. She rips the fork out and strikes again, this time hitting his eye. She grimaces at the sound of his pained gurgle as he continues to try to get air. She hangs on.

He goes down slow. His knees hit the ground first. She holds him up until she’s certain he won’t be getting up again.

Ajay hesitates, for just a moment, with adrenaline pumping through her. This is her moment.

She dips down and searches his pockets. She finds little of value. He doesn’t have any sort of cellphone on him or a weapon she might make use of. She finds a few coins and nothing else.

She doesn’t waste any more time.

Stepping out of the cell, Ajay starts her escape.

* * *

Anita keeps pace with Bloth no issue. They lead her farther into the wilds here. They seem familiar with this terrain.

Much of the tracks are easy even for Anita to follow. There’s a path of tire tracks flattening some of the undergrowth. At one point it disappears after driving onto a flat stone outcrop. Bloth finds the other end easily and they keep moving.

It takes some hours on foot. They break once, for only a moment, to drink some water and take a few bites of food. Anita passes Bloth an energy bar, they eat and silence, and continue on.

This movement is helping Anita focus. This helps her know she’s actually doing something to fix the situation.

“I believe ve have found it.”

Bloth holds back some foliage before them.

In a dip in the valley before them is something Anita actually recognizes. It’s an old IMC base. It’s been turned into something… else, Anita can tell. She couldn’t put more than a guess or two at what. But if this is where Ajay is, she’d have to believe it’s a hideout for whatever lowlives have decided to take her.

There are a couple IMC trucks, modded to suit whatever these bastards have decided to use them for. A pile of scrap metal is rusting just outside one of the garage doors. She can see two men at guard posts upfront. Both have an older version of the R-301 carbine, called an R-101. It’s a functional weapon, but outdated.

Anita is familiar with this era of IMC; it’s not terribly different set up than the ones she’s been in. She could probably navigate it no issue.

She passes off the information to Bloth. She adds, “There are cells in the back of these. It’s most likely where she’s being kept. Only a few, all secured with a four-digit code. The doors have a small opening on the front with a maglock guard over the front. The old models break pretty often. We force our way in, we can get her and get out of here. Maybe grab one of the trucks.”

Bloth remains silent for a few long moments. “Force vill end us. There are more men than ve can take if ve rush in blindly.”

Anita can’t help but fidget. Her fists clench and unclench.

“What do you suggest, then?” she asks. “Ajay is here, I can’t-- I can’t just sit back.”

“You vill not have to. Vat ve need is information.” They level a finger at the guards out front. “And information can be gathered, if the correct leverage is applied.”

Anita cracks her knuckles. “I’m okay with that.”

* * *

Bloth brings one finger down the side of their blade. “It is a simple question.”

There’s no response from either of the men.

The guards from the front of the compound are on the ground, their backs tied to trees with their legs out in front of them, ankles tied. They’ve been brought far enough out that their voices can’t be heard at the base. No matter how much they scream.

Neither men are untouched at this point. One is missing an entire ear. Both have black eyes. The one with both ears has a broken nose.

They’ve gained no real information as of yet. The most they’ve gotten from the two is a rather nasty statement in regards to Ajay-- Bloth had taken his ear for it-- and some pointless fearful remarks.

Bloth has asked Anita to take a back seat. She has the strength and the constitution for this sort of work, they know, but she likely doesn’t have the self-control not to kill these men the moment she gets too angry.

“Fuck you!” The remark comes from the man missing an ear.

Bloth walks past them and motions to Anita. She sends a knee into his face. There’s a crunch as his nose breaks. She follows it with a kick to his stomach. And another. Bloth stops her after a moment.

They approach the second man.

He’s panicking. They can work with that, but it’ll be at the expense of the first man.

Bloth kneels and holds their blade to the panicking man’s throat. “Vhere are you keeping her?”

“Don’t say shit,” spits the man with the missing ear.

Bloth hears Anita send another kick to his gut but doesn’t bother to turn back. They press a bit harder against the man’s throat. It breaks the skin enough for a single drop of blood to well up, but no more. At worse, it stings.

The man looks terrified and dares not to move but says nothing.

Bloth sighs and returns to the mouthy one. They kneel here and immediately sink their blade into the top of his knee. They start to twist it, millimetre by millimetre. “Try again.”

“I’m not--”

Bloth turns the blade in full, getting a wet pop from the knee cap tearing away. He screams. It echoes through the trees around them. Bloth removes their blade and holds a hand out to Anita.

“My axe, if you vould.”

Anita dips over to their bags. After a moment, she returns with it. 

They move the man’s arm so on hand is pressed palm down to the ground.

“For every question you do not answer, I vill take something from you, as you have taken from us.”

Bloth keeps their focus on this man for some time. They don’t expect him to break, but they expect it to cause the other man to panic further. With each finger removed and each scream uttered, the other man will grow in panic. The more he panics, the easier he will be to break.

Anita seems unphased by this. She’s ex-IMC; it’s likely she’s already experienced proximity to something like this. Or perhaps she simply wants some of the men responsible for taking Ajay to suffer.

Bloth will see to it that they do.

Sometime later, they step back. The man must be dizzy from blood loss. His screams are growing weak.

Bloth sighs as they turn to the other man.

Immediately, he starts to struggle against his binds. “No! I-- No, I don’t want--!”

“You have a vay to skip vhat happened to your friend,” Bloth says in an even tone. “You vill tell us vhere Lifeline is.”

“I, I-- I don’t know!”

Before he can say more, Anita’s boot meets his stomach. Bloth holds a hand up, telling her to wait.

He coughs and tries to breathe again. “I don’t! She got away, she-- she broke out. The boss is mad, he had plans, was gonna get us the ransom, and then sell her to the highest--”

Before Bloth can stop her, Anita kicks him again. There’s a crack from his ribs.

“Vait, Anita.”

She looks like she’s seething. It’s no wonder, with that sentence alone.

“Continue. How did your boss intend to get her back?”

“He sent Luka and a some of the others out to track her, said to bring her back no matter what, they, they headed north after her trail--”

Having heard enough, Bloth brings their knife up through his soft palate. He goes limp.

Bloth stands. “Take care of the other one.” They dip their head toward the semi-conscious man. “Ve must move.”

Bloth cleans their axe and knife, before stowing them away. There’s a crack as they pick up their bag. They glance over to where Anita has just broken the remaining man’s neck.

“Are you alright?”

“No,” she answers shortly. She doesn’t elaborate, just joins them in gearing up. She gestures to the bodies. “We doing anything about that?”

“They were vithout honour in life, they vill not find it in death. Ve leave them.”

“Fine by me.”

* * *

It’s dark.

Ajay isn’t certain of how far she’s made it, but she knows that she needs to keep moving. She’s heard them behind her more than once.

After leaving the cell, Ajay had kept as quiet as she could getting through the complex. Her priority had been to get some sort of communication device, and if that failed, get out.

She had armed herself with a knife in her escape and taken out a couple more of the men that had taken her.

Off one of the men, she had gotten a cell phone. It was an old, barely functional model, but she had tried to send a message anyway. She’d managed a single message, “SOS” to Anita’s number. It had been the first in her head. Now that she’s out here, she wonders if she should have tried someone else. But she trusts Anita. She loves Anita. Anita will do the right thing, go to Park, or some authority, or something.

As long as someone might know where she is.

But then, Ajay isn’t in that raider’s hideout anymore. She’d fled once her absence was noticed. She’s still got that crappy old phone, but she doesn’t want to take the time to stop. She knows that those men are following her.

Ajay doesn’t know what they have planned for her, but she’s certain that if they have their way, she’ll never go home again.

Ajay knows she’s flagging. With so little rest and some amount of injuries, adrenaline can only keep her going so much. She would kill to have Doc with her. Or literally anyone who would be on her side. Anita, Bloth, Makoa. Hell, she’d take Octane if only not to be alone.

It’s pointless to wish right now.

Ajay stops and presses her back to the trunk of a tree and just tries to breathe. She keeps the knife gripped in her hand. Her breath comes ragged, but she tries to keep it quiet. She can still hear them in the distance.

If she can take one of them out, she might be able to get a better weapon.

Ajay is hidden here; the trunk is thicker than she is. If she's lucky, they'll lose track of her.

If she's not…

Well, she'll go down fighting, at the very least.

* * *

A notification pops up on Anita’s phone. She keeps pace with Bloth but still checks it.

_ Message from: Unknown Sender _

_ Message body: SOS _

The timestamp indicates it was sent hours ago.

Anita takes a deep breath. If Ajay had escaped, this could be her. Hell, it probably is.

She wrestles with herself over responding. Should she answer? Should she contact Crypto and have him track it?

She swears internally. This is Ajay. She can feel it in her gut. There’s no reason she can’t respond and have Park try to trace it.

_ Ajay, we’re coming for you. We’ll be there as soon as we can. I love you. _

As soon as she’s sent it, she switches to the messages she’s been exchanging with Park. She sends another asking if he can get into her phone and track it. Another way to find Ajay outside of Bloth’s wouldn’t hurt.

“I believe ve are close.” Bloth’s voice is low.

Anita shoves her phone away.

The rising sun helps to light their path despite the tall pine trees around them. 

“There was a fight here.” Bloth motions to a few drops of blood on the ground.

Anita’s mind goes to the worst, of Ajay being hurt. She’s still angry about what that man had told them, about how there were plans to  _ sell  _ Ajay. She gets angry again just thinking about it.

If Ajay is hurt, if Anita can’t bring her home, she is going back to that old IMC base and she’s going to kill everyone inside.

Bloth leads her forward and--

There’s the body of a man on the ground. His blood has pooled under him and soaked into the dirt beneath him.

Bloth kneels beside him for a moment. “A knife to the side of the neck and pulled forward,” they explain. “Ajay’s handiwork, most likely.”

Anita might be a little proud of that.

Bloth moves a few steps past the corpse and kneels again. “There’s a shoe print of hers here.” They pause and look on. “She was running. That direction.”

Anita doesn’t need to be told twice.

* * *

The sun is starting to rise.

Ajay realizes it somewhere in the back of her mind as she runs. They know she’s here now-- if she had been a little quicker, her hands just a touch less shaky, she might have killed that man without alerting the others.

She can hear them shouting behind her; the fact they haven’t caught her is a miracle.

There’s a pop. Something hits a tree right before she passes it.

They’ve brought the tranquillizers they’d gotten her with before.

She doesn’t have time to wonder if the original doses are out of her system or if her body can handle it with the exhaustion sinking into her bones. She can only keep running and hope for something, anything, that might help her get out of this.

What Ajay wouldn’t give to be back in her flat, curled up against Anita, with a movie playing in the background. It’s where she’d be if the ship hadn’t been shot down.

Something hits her in the back and she stumbles.

Already she feels the lethargy of that tranquillizer taking her. She powers through it, tries to get away.

All at once, she finds the trees have disappeared from in front of her as has the ground beneath her feet. She falls, rolls, down a steep incline covered in rocks and roots. She loses her knife in the fall. At the same time, something sharp cuts into her. It could be the knife, how could she check right now? She hits just about everything she can as she goes down.

Ajay finally comes to a stop at the bottom of the incline.

Everything hurts, but everything is fading too. She doesn’t have the energy to resist the effects of the tranquillizer. Her strength is gone, wasted on a foolish attempt at escape. When she wakes up, she’ll likely be back in their hands.

And she can’t do anything about it.

Her world goes dark.

* * *

Bloth taps the side of a tree. “They shot at her. More of their darts.” They say this as they pluck one of the darks from the bark. Anita doesn’t respond, but so far she’s been respectful, standing back to let them do their work. They appreciate that.

They follow more marks in the dirt; the undergrowth is non-existent here, as the ground beneath them had been sand at some point long before the trees grew. Trees like the ones they stand beneath grow well in it.

They find more blood. It starts out as one or two droplets but leads to another near puddle of it. It’s soaked into the ground as the other had. They can tell a body had lain her at one point, but within the last hour or so it had been moved. Not far off, there’s another drying puddle of blood.

“There vas a fight here, but I see no bodies…”

“Bloodhound.” Anita keeps her voice quiet.

They look over to her.

She’s standing up, staring into the branches above them. They follow her gaze.

“I don’t think Ajay did that,” she comments in a whisper.

Above them, strung in the branches, are the missing bodies. Hung from different limbs and displaying grizzly wounds, are more of Ajay’s kidnappers. They would assume as much, at least. Some still drip blood onto the ground below them. One hangs by tied together wrists with his stomach cut open. Another by his neck with blood covering his chest. A third seems more to be hung in two pieces.

“This is recent.”

“I’ll say.”

“Stay there.”

Bloth paces the land before them and looks for more signs of Ajay. They move past the remnants of the fight. Much of where she’d been is marred and skewed.

There’s a soft, familiar croak of a raven nearby. They look up to see Artur resting on a branch ahead.

Bloth follows.

Artur leads them further on through the trees until they find the trail again.

She had been running still. This much is obvious. She doesn’t seem to have stopped at all, which means it’s even more unlikely she was not part of whoever killed those men. She’d run north and then--

Bloth stops short. Just past the tree line, a meter away, is a steep incline down into more forest. The incline is maybe ten meters down. There’s rocks protruding out of it and the roots of nearby trees.

Anxiety settles in their stomach. There’s blood on some of these rocks now. It’s dry, from what they can tell, but it hasn’t been here long. They spot a little line of pink caught in the fork of a stiff root. They take a few careful steps down the side and cling there to reach it. It’s a broken hair tie. They’re certain it belongs to Ajay. It’s just like the ones they’ve seen Artur steal from her.

She had fallen down this.

The bottom of the incline is covered in tall ferns and fronds. Some appear broken, but Bloth can’t tell if anything, or anyone, lays beneath them.

They will have to get closer to find out.

Quickly, they return to Anita and bring her with. Some bit of unease has settled in their chest. It would be better to stick together.

They bring her to the incline and together they get to the bottom. They slip half the way down, but Anita catches their arm and helps them get their footing again.

“You think we’re close?”

“The tracks-- those bodies-- none of it could be more than an hour old. I simply need to check...” They move in on the ferns Ajay would have fallen into. Beneath the ferns, they find where she had to have landed.

There’s the mark of a body having lain here not long before. There are a couple spots of blood. One isn’t dry, having been sheltered beneath the ferns, but it is cold. There’s more but… Bloth doesn’t know how to say the words for a moment. The information is too painful, the consequences too chilling.

“She… She vas here.” They say it quietly, but Anita is already giving them her full attention. “She fell and landed here.” They point to the place they’ve revealed from beneath the undergrowth. “On her stomach.” They point to some more marks in the dirt and outline them for Anita’s benefit. “I do not know if she was conscious. She… She was rolled over, I believe.”

“And then what?” Anita demands harshly. They don’t hold it against her.

Artur flies down and lands on their shoulder.

“I don’t know. But I believe something took her.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me: im going to hurt ajay more  
> my best friends, sister, and various assorted others: what the FUCK, parker
> 
> thanks for reading!


	4. In a Stranger's Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been writing an unrelated longfic to this where I hurt Anita a lot? but i realized this chapter was ready to post so here it is!

Ajay struggles to open her eyes. The world swims before her. Her eyes close again.

Her body is heavy. It has no interest in responding to her wanting to move.

Her ears, however, still seem functional.

" _Sofðu unga ástin mín_ ," sings a soft but strong voice. " _Úti regnið grætur_."

Ajay feels like she knows the song but her mind is sluggish. The way the person speaks feels familiar too.

" _Mamma geymir gullin þín_ ," continues the voice. It's closer now, but Ajay can't get her eyes to open, to see who she's in the company of. Something warm touches her forehead. It's gentle. " _Gamla leggi og völuskrín_."

Ajay can barely think. These words… She can understand some of it. Bloth has been teaching their language to her.

Is this Bloth?

Has she been found?

" _Við skulum ekki vaka um dimmar nætur_."

This song… Bloth had sang it to her once, hadn't they? To comfort her as she cried on their shoulder.

"Það er margt sem myrkrið veit."

Yes, this is the song. A soft lullaby to calm her when she needed it.

Ajay could cry. She's safe. Bloth found her.

The thought is comforting enough to lull her back to sleep.

* * *

Anita reaches out. All she needs to do is get one hand on Ajay and pull her into the ship. Her arm feels stiff, almost paralyzed.

Why does Ajay seem so far away?

A shot rings out and Ajay's eyes go wide.

"'Nita?" she whispers.

Anita screams for Ajay as the distance between them grows. Why can't she move? Jump out of the transport, get to Ajay, why isn't she _moving_?

Anita jerks awake as a hand is set on her shoulder. She's got her knife out in half a second, but it's long enough to realize it's just Bloth.

"What is it?" she grunts as she stashes the knife.

"Ve should move. I found a better spot to make camp vhile I follow the trails."

Trails _plural_.

Anita doesn't say anything. She gets up from where she'd been sitting and yanks her bag off the ground. A raised eyebrow is all the indication she gives them to lead the way.

Anita fidgets with her phone. She’s waiting on a response from Park, but the descent they’d made into the area Ajay had fallen seems to cut off any signal. It’s more than frustrating on top of everything else going on.

To be so close, a _single hour_ , to catching up with Ajay only to have someone else take her and disappear into the woods? Anita could scream.

Bloth has explained to her the, albeit flimsy, plan. They’ve found multiple paths away from where Ajay had fallen. Anita doesn’t have the training to help, so she will remain at camp while they try to find which might be the true path. It’s less of a plan and more a way for Anita to feel worse and worse about doing nothing to find Ajay.

She’s been reduced to the role of a camp caretaker. Keep the fire going. Manage the rations. Make sure no animals stray too close.

The new camp is on a raised little chunk of rock into the side of one of the taller hills. The first thing Anita does is check and see if her phone has reception.

It doesn’t.

She turns it off to conserve the battery.

“You going to go back to tracking?”

Bloth nods. “The faster I do, the less likely it is the trail is lost.”

“I’ll get a fire going.”

“Keep it low. The weather has been dry as of late.”

“Yep.”

Anita doesn’t have the energy to mention she knows not to start a forest fire. She barely has the energy to respond at all.

Bloth heads off into the woods again.

With them gone, Anita lets herself sit for a moment. She rubs a hand down her face.

Everything in her head feels wrong. Her emotions feel like they’ve been tied in knots and tangled. She can barely feel her anxiety anymore because it’s congealed into something she doesn’t want to touch, lest she risk breaking.

There are terrifying things on the horizon that she doesn’t want to consider. Bloth is certain Ajay had been taken from where she’d fallen down that hill. The likelihood of it being the same person or people who hung the bodies seems high. Anita keeps avoiding looking up, too afraid she might see Ajay’s mangled body above her.

At least there’s no proof she’s dead.

Anita shoves her palms against her eyes and tries to stop thinking about it.

She forces herself to stand and get to work. The movement will give her anxiety an outlet. Maybe she can stave off the panic attack she can feel growing in her chest.

Anita gathers wood, tinder and kindling. She grabs more than they’ll need for the day. Who knows how long they might be out here. She tries not to stray far from camp in fear of crossing one of the trails Bloth intends to follow.

She can’t help but wonder how many they might be facing here.

Bloth had explained to her what they could tell of the area. Ajay had fallen, injured, to the bottom of the incline; an incline so steep it could practically be a _cliff_.

 _“I believe something took her,”_ Bloth had said.

 _“More of a some or more of a thing?”_ Anita had asked in what could only be a growl.

She doesn’t mean to have that tone with them, but it’s hard for her to hold back the anger she feels over this. They're not to blame. She knows as much.

It hadn’t been a “thing”; Bloth is certain it wasn’t an animal that took her. There are no drag marks and anything on the planet big enough to lift her and leave nothing behind would leave unmistakable prints. The “some” that took Ajay, one person or many, know someone is tracking them. Apparently their steps are light and they move through the woods with barely a footprint behind them.

It’s all things Anita doesn’t care to think about right now, but part of her feels as if she could find some missing puzzle piece if she thinks on the problem long enough. The common sense she has tells her it’s just useless hopeful thinking.

* * *

Ajay is aware of being moved. She’s being lifted to a sitting up position. She feels something pressed to her lips.

“It is water,” comes a quiet voice. “You must drink.”

Ajay does her best to. She’s not really functioning at her full capacity. She feels more like she’s in a realistic dream rather than in waking life.

Eventually, the water is pulled away from her and she’s lowered back down.

She falls back to sleep.

She’s not sure how long it’s been when a touch of consciousness finds her again.

Or maybe she's still dreaming. She can see something in the room with her, but the room’s edges are lost in the blurry edges of her vision. Standing in the room, though she can’t tell if they’re looking at her, is an impossibly tall creature with a face made of bone. Their face looks like the skull of a deer but they have nasty fangs and curving horns. They’re humming to themself. They seem to be sharpening a knife.

Ajay decides it must be a dream, caused by whatever sickness or drug is keeping her from waking up. She hopes it is, anyway.

The next time Ajay can open her eyes, she feels like she might actually be awake. She has a headache, but nearly every bit of her hurts so it’s no real surprise. She tries to bring a hand to her face but she finds that wrist restrained. The other is free but is wrapped in a bandage.

She manages to push herself up on one arm.

“Easy,” says a voice nearby. “You are hurt.”

Ajay looks over to see a woman, taller than any she’s met in a good while, standing at a rough wooden counter. She’s washing her hands in a dish of water and-- it’s blood that she’s washing off.

She feels disappointment and fear nestle into her chest. Her dreams had made her think it was Bloth who had found her. This is not Bloth.

“Who… Who are you?” Ajay asks once she finds her voice.

The woman shakes the water from her hands, one of which is prosthetic, before drying them on a cloth. “You may call me Taliza.” She approaches and takes a seat in a chair that’s been pulled up beside where Ajay is laying.

Ajay takes the moment to look around. She’s laying in a bed of furs with a heavy blanket over her. Most of what is around her is made of wood or leather. Some of the decor reminds her of what Bloth has in their home. Maybe that's why her dreams had included them.

Taliza passes her a cup. “Drink. You are likely dehydrated.”

Ajay hesitates. She looks into the cup. It looks like it’s only water. It smells of nothing.

“I promise, I have added nothing to it. If I vanted you dead, I would have left you where I found you.”

That’s… entirely fair.

Ajay drinks. She finds herself to be parched and is thankful when Taliza pours more water into the cup.

“I brought you here because I vas not certain you were of a similar ilk to those chasing you. I could not stand by while they went after you, but…” Taliza gives her a long look. “Tell me why. Who you are, why they vanted you. I will not kill you, but I will make the decision if you can be trusted by what you tell me.” She purses her lips. “If you feel able to speak.”

Ajay isn’t sure how she’ll manage to speak, but she knows she must. This situation has the possibility to be much better than her previous bout of being held captive. And honestly… Ajay finds it’s harder to find a reason not to tell her. If this woman hadn’t found her, she’d likely be dead.

“Dun suppose ya’ know what the Apex Legends are?” Her voice is weak and strained.

Taliza shakes her head.

“Well, ah… I’m one of ‘em. My name is Ajay.” She coughs and tries to clear her throat. Taliza pours her more water. “An Apex Legend is ah, we all fight each other. Winners get a big cash prize. Ain’t no real killin’, not on purpose. They make sure a’ that. We--” She coughs again and ends up draining the water she has. “We all worth a bit a’ money t’ them. Got a fightin’ arena on this planet. Dun know how far out from here.”

“You are a fighter?”

Ajay manages a chuckle. She's used to being underestimated for her appearance. “Might not look like it, but I took out a few a’ the men that took me before I ran.”

“I found one. The man with the neck wound.”

“What happened t’ the others?”

There’s no shame in Taliza’s voice when she answers. “Dead. I know the raiders they come from. They are not allowed on my lands. Their bodies are examples to the others.”

“Good. They deserve it.”

Taliza’s accent reminds her of Bloth’s. It’s not as thick and more of her w’s are pronounced as such, but it’s there. It might be foolish, but it makes Ajay feel more comfortable.

“Anyway… we were comin’ back from our latest match and our ship got shot down. Couple a’ us got hurt. I had t’ patch up a few.” Ajay sighs. Park was the worst off of that. She really hopes he got home okay. “The raiders swarmed us. Got me with some kinda tranquiliser. Everyone else got away, but… Here I am.”

She yawns. Her throat feels sore from talking, despite how little she’s said. She still feels exhausted, despite having slept for what must be hours.

Taliza gives her another long look. After a moment, she gestures to the bed. “Rest. I will have food ready when you awaken.”

“Can I ask ya’ somethin’ first?”

A nod.

“Why’d ya’ have blood on ya’ hands?”

Taliza gives an amused smile. “I vas hunting. I have just finished butchering the prowler I got.”

“Oh.” That’s much better than any alternatives.

Ajay lets herself lower back onto her bed. Taliza stands and turns back to her counter.

Ajay is asleep moments later.

* * *

Bloth finds it hard to focus. Guilt is choking them as they follow one of the possible trails. Ajay would not be out here if she had not gone back to get them when they were shot. Their stumble, the fact they had not moved fast enough to get to the transport without being struck, had cost them Ajay.

The bodies that had been hung had been a warning. They know as much, as they have seen similar warnings before. Whoever had done that didn’t want those people around. They likely don’t want Anita and Bloth around. Bloth will have to work to cover their tracks.

They’re certain whoever this person is, or perhaps people are, have covered any of their own tracks. It’s making things much harder.

The fact Ajay had not joined the other bodies as a display is another conundrum. Had the mystery party involved in this made the choice to spare her? Had they taken her for their own ransom?

Bloth knows Ajay is alive. They are more certain of this than they are of much else in this hunt to get her back. They don’t know if she is safe, or how badly she is hurt, but they know she is alive.

Leading away from where Ajay had certainly fallen are many false trails leading deeper into the woods. Bloth is following the most likely path at the moment, but they are uncertain if it is the true path. Artur has not made an appearance, so nothing of this trail is certain.

It is likely that they will have to hunt soon. They had intended to rely on that, as their supplies they’ve brought mostly contained dry fruit and a few other small things. Nothing that will do more than supplement their diet. They hadn’t had time to pack more, not with Ajay at risk.

Bloth plans to speak with Anita about this after they return to camp. The two of them will survive together and get Ajay back. They have to.

Being out here feels nostalgic, almost like home. They had lived and grown on this planet, after all. Most of the plants are familiar and they know every animal track they see. This is where they feel strongest. It is the barest amount of hope they get from their own expertise.

Bloth takes a deep breath and recenters themself. They whisper a soft prayer to the Allfather and continue their path.

* * *

Ajay wakes as a door opens. She opens her eyes and entering is the tall creature she’d thought she’d dreamt. Their face is bone and they've got impossible fangs both in their upper jaw and lower. There's blood on the teeth and smeared across the face.

Ajay flinches back in fear as the creature comes closer.

"Ah," comes from the bone creature. They reach up and-- Taliza pulls off her mask.

Ajay breathes a sigh of relief. It had been too much to see that upon waking.

"I am sorry," Taliza speaks. "I vear that to intimidate when I travel."

“Must work pretty well,” Ajay answers. She gives the mask a wary look. “Guess I musta woken up and saw you at some point, ‘cause that mask of yours was in my nightmares.”

“I am sorry,” she says again.

Ajay waves her off. She’s distracted by the fact her wrist is no longer bound. “You’re lettin’ me loose?”

Taliza nods and moves to the fire where she’s got something cooking. It’s almost witch-like; there’s a small cast iron cauldron hung over the glowing embers. She takes the lid off and an appetizing aroma fills the air.

“I have made the decision to trust you,” she says casually. “You seem smart enough to know that I am not to be trifled with. If you make a move against me I will act. But I do not think you will do this.”

“Ain’t smart t’ bite the hand that feeds ya’. Or in this case, saves ya’ life.”

Taliza chuckles. She ladles some of whatever she’s made into a bowl and brings it to Ajay. “I will feed you as well.”

“Thank ya’.” Ajay looks into the bowl. It’s a thick stew, filled with vegetables and chunks of meat that she assumes must be prowler. She digs in. She’s not picky, especially not when this hungry.

She watches Taliza serve herself and sit not too far away. The distance isn’t enough to stop them from chatting.

“So what’s the damage?” Ajay asks between bites. “Ya’ know how hurt I am? And which bits of me?” She aches all over and hasn’t had a chance to check out what’s up. The dull ache behind her eyes would suggest a concussion. She knows she has plenty of cuts and bruises. The spots she’s been shot still ache; they’re joined by a new one on her shoulder blade.

Taliza frowns and lowers her spoon back to her bowl. “You were bleeding when I found you. I had to bandage your arm, as well as one of your legs. I am not sure you will be able to valk for a few days, but I could be wrong. I’ve cleaned what I could of your cuts.” She pauses to take a bite. After a moment, she continues. “You have had a fever since I found you. It broke earlier, I believe.”

Ajay nods. She’ll have to give herself a once over after she’s eaten.

At the moment, Ajay isn’t sure how to feel about this. She’s, for the moment, safe, but she’s also with a stranger who knows where. And simply being around the stranger _could_ mean she’s not safe, but it’s not like Ajay has a choice in this matter. For now, though, Ajay is alive and healing. That alone makes her feel hopeful. But she doesn’t know what the next step past this is. Does Taliza intend to release her once she’s healed? Or is Ajay here until Taliza says otherwise?

“Can I ask ya’ somethin’?”

Taliza nods.

“What’s gonna happen when I’m feelin’ better?”

She shrugs. “That is a plan we must make together. I do not know if it is in my power to return you where you came from, but it is likely I can get you a way to get home anyway.”

Some of Ajay’s anxiety melts. She can’t shake a feeling of disbelief. How could she have gone from raiders who kept her with an intention of ransoming her to those that run the games to… this? Someone who seems to genuinely wish to help her? Help her get home?

Ajay doesn’t really know how to respond to that. “Really?”

Setting aside her empty bowl, Taliza snorts. “I am not like the ones who chased you.”

“I’m glad about that.” Ajay looks down at her bowl and realizes she’s finished it. Before she can ask, Taliza stands, takes her bowl, and refills it. “Thank ya’.”

“Eat as much as you wish. You need to regain your strength.” She turns away and heads back further into the little house.

As far as Ajay can tell, this is an open layout house. The kitchen is on the back wall which isn’t far from her. Her bed seems to be a new addition to the front part of the house with a few things moved so she can fit here. She runs a hand over the fur blanket over her. She doesn’t recognize what it would have come from.

As she finishes her second bowl, she sets it aside to examine her injuries. All seem to be what Taliza said. Her ribs ache but she can't tell if it's bad bruising or if she's cracked them. She swings her legs over the side of the bed and attempts to stand. Immediately, her ankle flares in pain and gives out.

Taliza is suddenly there, holding her up by the elbow. Ajay leans heavily onto the woman's grip to take the weight off her ankle.

Taliza has an almost scary amount of height on her, but her grip is gentle and she guides Ajay back to a sitting position.

"Do not push yourself too hard. You will only hurt yourself more."

Ajay purses her lips but nods. "I know. Just testin’ my limits. Was hopin' I might be up n' about sooner rather than later."

Taliza frowns. "I promise to do vhat I can for you, but you must be patient with your healing."

Sitting there on the edge of her makeshift bed, Ajay sighs. "Wish I had my drone with me."

"Your drone?"

"Yeah! My girl Doc. I built her myself. Helps me heal people in the games, but I made her specifically for when I did search 'n rescue regularly." Ajay hums, thinking back to the crash. "Dunno where she is now. Last I saw her, she was bein' loaded onto the transports they sent to rescue us. She was keepin' a friend a' mine goin'."

Taliza takes her empty bowl. “Your people… You are considered important enough to kidnap? It seems like a large number of resources to invest to grab one person, at least for those that live out here.”

Ajay snorts. “Ain’t just one they wanted. One a’ the boys that guarded me said they wanted more of us. Nearly got someone else, but…” She shrugs. “I wasn’t about t’ let that happen.”

“How many of your people are there?”

“Eh, that fluctuates. The ones I stick with, there’s, uh… Dunno, I got Anita ‘n Bloth.” She’s counting on her fingers as she does it. “Nat, Renee… Path. There’s more. I dun hang out with all of ‘em. Think there were eleven of us on the ship that got shot down. Dun know how they managed to shoot us down, though, ‘sides Anita’s guesses.”

“If it is the men I believe to be responsible, they have an old IMC base in their control, complete with old anti-air weapons. It is likely they used these. There are large stationary laser turrets near their building.”

Ajay hums. “‘Nita mentioned that sort of thing. She’s smart, so I ain’t surprised she’s right.” She looks up at Taliza, curious. “You got IMC experience?”

Taliza avoids her eyes. “What makes you ask?”

With a shrug, Ajay fidgets with her bandaged arm. “Anita’s ex-IMC. Ya’ sounded like her, the way ya’ phrased it.”

There’s no response. Maybe she isn't ex-IMC. Or maybe she is and it’s something she doesn’t like talking about. Ajay won’t push.

Ajay stretches, one limb at a time, and tries to figure the extent of her injuries. She’s got some things she won’t be able to tell without a proper scan of herself. At the very least, she's alive and on the mend. She's indebted to Taliza, but she'll figure that out later.

"I found you a change of clothing," Taliza speaks up. She places a pile of clothes on the nearby table. "You are… very small, so I traded these from others nearby." She gestures to the things beside it. It's nothing really. Just a barely familiar knife, the half-broken phone she’d stolen, and a hair tie. "That is all you had on you, besides your clothing, when I found you."

Ajay runs a hand through her hair. It's unruly and already curling back from the way she has it straightened. She picks up the bright pink hair tie and slips it on her wrist. She considers it her lucky one; it having survived this long and this much, it has to be.

"Thank ya'. N' not all of us get as much height as you," she jokes. "I'm on the smaller side, as the legends go.”

“Most are on the smaller side compared to me.”

“Dunno. Got a friend about your height. Ya’ just a lot more feminine than him,” Ajay jokes.

She scoops up the half-broken phone. It powers on for half a moment before turning off again. There’s no way to check if she got a response on her message. It’s just as well. She hadn’t exactly turned the phone off to preserve the battery.

There’s still the hope that the message got through. She would do anything to be with Anita right now.

Taliza seems to notice her frown. “Are you alright? If you are in pain, I can get painkillers the next time I go out.”

Ajay waves her off. “The pain is manageable. I’ll be fine. Just… missin’ my woman, really.”

Taliza tilts her head to the side. “Your spouse?”

She chuckles and shakes her head. “Nah. Ain’t been together but a year or so. Maybe if I’m lucky, that’ll happen.” She sighs. “She’s the prettiest woman I ever seen. Makes me feel good. I mentioned her before-- Anita. The ex-IMC gal. She… she got on the rescue transport jus’ before I went down.” Ajay frowns. “She’s probably blamin’ herself. Thinks she coulda’ changed it.” She fidgets with her hands. “Can’t wait to have her back.”

Taliza gives her a sympathetic look. “As soon as I am able, I will lead you back to civilization.”

“I appreciate that. Dun want her sittin’ in worry too long. Or any a’ my other people.” Her thoughts are on Anita and Bloodhound, foremost, but also Park. He’s _got_ to be okay. She thinks of Makoa, who hadn’t wanted to leave until he was sure everyone was safe. Renee had needed more help, but she’d gotten on the transport. Natalie and Pathfinder were both safe too. Even Octavio, her ridiculous pseudo-brother; he’d gotten away. He’d probably gotten annoyed with some nurse getting the glass out of his cuts when he got back. She sighs. She misses them all. “I’m just hopin’ they’re alright.”

* * *

Anita sits herself down on the edge of the ledge she’s just climbed. There’s no signal down in the valley that they followed Ajay’s trail to. She’s hiked up to some higher elevation not far from their camp. There’s a signal here, but barely.

Park has sent a message updating her on the situation.

_Miss Che’s sponsors are discussing whether she is “worth” the ransom. Currently, there are staunch advocates for paying it. Their vocabulary on the matter disgusts me, but it seems like they may attempt for it. It seems to be of little matter now, with her having escaped. If they attempt to pay the ransom, I will redirect it to Miss Che’s clinic._

_The number you had me check was already undetectable by the time I tracked it. It followed the same path you and Bloodhound did before also going off-grid. If this is Ajay as you suspect, you are on the right path._

_When you find her, let her know her health drone is well taken care of. Makoa seems fond of it. When I am able, I will do what repairs it needs. She will find it in good repair when you return with her._

Anita appreciates the positive attitude he’s brought to the message, especially since he’s not exactly an optimist. She wonders if Makoa is the one leaning him towards it.

_She’ll like the funding for her clinic. Also tell them they can get fucked and she’s worth more than every one of them combined._

_We followed her trail down a hill. We know she’s hurt, but we haven’t found her. We think someone else took her. Bloodhound is attempting to follow trails here to find her, but they’re having a hard time tracking her. We’re making camp while they keep looking. I’ll keep you updated._

Anita takes a deep breath. Thinking on it hurts more.

_Doc is a good little bot. Ajay will appreciate you taking care of her. She can understand just about anything you say, so you know._

_Also, seriously. Ajay won’t care for you calling her Miss Che. I promise. No need to do that._

Anita sends off the message, waits for it to go through, and hops up again. She’s gonna head back down to camp and wait for Bloth. With any luck, they’ll have a proper path to follow.

Anita hates this. She hasn’t really been able to help with much; the most she’d done was get a few hits in on the guards they’d killed. Bloodhound has the skill set for out here. Her own skills are all military based. She can hit a target with any decent gun but ask her to follow tracks and she’s going to have a harder time.

This whole thing makes Anita angry. She’s put a lot of work into managing her anger. She goes to therapy and actually tries these days. She wants to be worthy of dating Ajay, so she’s been working on herself.

But this really isn’t helping her anger. It’s hard to manage when she thinks about the kidnappers and whoever took Ajay this time. Or how she should have done something, leapt out of the transport to grab Ajay, not started the transport, _something._ Or the fact that Ajay, along with all the other legends, are considered for their monetary value by the sponsors. It’s all absolutely fucked.

Anita tries to focus on the now rather than the omnipresent negatives of this situation. She’s got to get back to camp. She’s probably got to tell Bloodhound about the message she received and the results Park got from tracking it. She should probably eat something too. She needs to keep her strength up.

Bloodhound is already back at camp when Anita gets back. They’ve dug through their pack and pulled out what looks like some sort of dried fruit. They lift the bottom of their mask just enough to take a bite.

"Park messaged. Said the idiots in charge are deciding if Ajay is worth ransom. I'm sure you hate that as much as I do."

Bloth gives a short nod before slipping their mask back into place.

"I-- I got a message from a number I didn't know earlier. Didn’t get a chance to tell you. Before we found where she fell. It was an SOS. Park traced it and it looks like it must have been her. She took the same path before we did. But there's no signal down here to find her." She kneels by the fire pit she'd cleared earlier and starts setting up the wood she'd gathered. The fire she'd made earlier is nothing but ash. "She-- She's gotta be down here somewhere if Crypto can't track her. Or maybe she's lost the phone she used."

"I have found no evidence of the trails leaving this lowland. But… I have found little evidence in general."

"No luck, then?"

"None vhatsoever. Whoever took her does not vant to be found."

Anita scowls as she shoves some tinder into the centre of the pit. "Sucks for them. I don't intend to stop looking until she's back."

"I am of the same mind."

At least there's that. She's got Bloodhound on her side. They're united in their attachment to Ajay, even if they don't typically interact outside of the ring.

She clicks a lighter against the kindling. It smokes a bit. She does it again. A small flame lights up and eats its way through the little twigs, eventually catching the larger pieces she gradually adds.

"I believe it vill be best for you to remain at camp, or close to it, vhile I continue investigating," Bloth speaks up. "I am sorry for it, but I must ensure the trail stays intact."

Anita grumbles. It makes sense, but she wants to be active. She wants to find Ajay. It's been the only thing on her mind out here. All other thoughts come second.

God, she fucking hates this.

"Alright. But I need you to keep me in the loop. If you find anything, I get to know."

"Of course."

The fire crackles and licks at the branch she's tossed on top. It should be fine now. 

“And if there is literally _anything_ I can do to help…”

Bloth nods, expression as enigmatic as ever. “I vill tell you.”

They grab something from their bag and shove it into one of their many pockets. And then they disappear back into the woods around them, leaving Anita alone by the fire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!


	5. Lending a Hand

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this might have... 2 to 3 chapters left in it?

In the evening, two days later, Bloth returns to camp. They are tired, but they've narrowed the paths they've found down considerably.

Anita is crouched by the fire, eating one of her MREs. She tosses them one as they enter camp. They aren’t a fan of MREs, but she’s been kind enough to share her provisions. They will likely need to find an alternate source of food for the two of them soon.

Anita seems more surly than usual today. She’s hunched over her food with an angry resting expression. She’s stayed at the camp for the entirety of the time. Her only instances of stepping out have been to send or receive messages with Park.

“Any new information?” Bloth asks as they sit down across the fire from her.

She shrugs. “Park is out of the hospital. He’s fixing up Doc. Uh… The assholes in charge still don’t know Ajay’s not with the assholes who took her. They’re going to pay the ransom, but Park is giving the money to Ajay’s clinic. That’s it.”

Giving the news doesn’t change her demeanor. She won’t even meet their gaze.

“Did you find anything?”

“I did not.”

Anita’s jaw clenches and she closes her eyes. She takes in a deep, stuttered breath before standing and walking off.

Bloth makes no moves to go after her. They will give her space, as it is likely she does not want them to see her cry.

It is… interesting, for lack of a better word, that this is Anita’s reaction. They’ve known IMC soldiers before now and few are ever quite as emotions fueled as Anita. But then, Anita has not always been like this.

Bloth remembers their first fight together in the ring. Bangalore would describe any gun the moment she was asked, treat the people around her with disdain if they did not meet some criteria of hers, and often the most common strong emotion she would show was anger. The first fight they had against each other in the ring had been hard and Bloth honestly can’t remember the victor.

At some point, Anita changed. Her edges aren’t so sharp any more and she’s more prone to laughter and kindness. The most recent bought in the ring had seen them teamed up again. The Bangalore they had fought beside had been a different person than their original game. Anita had been considerate, she had gotten their back, and they had worked together well. She has not faced a challenge to truly test her, but she has grown in spite of that.

Bloth can only think this is influence from Ajay.

It’s been more than a year since Bloth had begun to notice Anita softening. In the span of time since then, Bloth has seen Anita and Ajay grow closer. It’s rare these days to see one and not the other; unless it’s Ajay visiting Bloth at home.

Something clicks then for Bloth.

Anita and Ajay are together. They must be. There is rarely a time that Ajay has not mentioned Anita in some manner when visiting them. There have been plenty of days Bloth has visited Ajay’s home and found Anita already there. It’s rare to see them apart. And the looks they give each other… yes, Bloth isn’t sure how they didn’t notice it before.

Anita makes her way back over some time later. Her eyes are red but she goes right to her back and rummages around in it.

Bloodhound stares at her for a few long moments. Yes, they’ll ask now. They may not get an answer, but they will ask. "You and Ajay are closer than you let others know."

Anita turns a touch pink and looks away with a scowl. After a moment where she seems to argue with herself, she sighs. "I... asked her out. A while back. I thought, why not? She… said yes. One date turned into three turning into-- Fridays are movie night and I'll make her dinner while she picks something out. Half my closet seems to be her clothes. It's the other way around at her place. I, I care about her. And I know she feels the same." Anita scowls at the ground again. "We have to get her back."

“Ve vill.”

Bloth tries to sound confident as they say it. They believe Ajay is alive. They _know_ she is. She is stronger than anyone can know. They are certain she is alive and that the Allfather is watching out for her.

How she will be found or in what state… That is uncertain.

But Ajay is alive.

The uncertainty of where she is and how badly she is injured makes Bloth so terribly anxious they can barely breathe if they think on it too long. But Bloth will do everything they can to find her and bring her home.

“You don’t seem all that surprised,” Anita grumbles out. She’s sat down by the fire, looking up at them with watery eyes.

“In retrospect, it is not surprising.” They shrug and sit across from her. “Thinking of how I see the two of you interact and the things Ajay has told me of you, it makes sense. She loves you. I believe I did not see it before this point because I vas not looking.”

“I love her too.” Anita’s voice is barely a whisper. “She’s-- I love her and I _have_ to get her back.”

That makes Bloth happy to hear. “I promise you, ve vill find her. I love her as well, though mine is a familial love. Her well being is as important to me as mitt own.”

There’s a fairly long pause before Anita speaks. “I’m… glad I’m not on my own out here.”

Bloth is almost surprised to hear her say it. Much more so than to hear she and Ajay are romantically involved.

“I hate sitting around like this. But at least you know what you’re doing. I wouldn't have made it this far alone."

They regard her for a moment in the light of the low fire. “It is not a fault of yours that your skill set is not a match for the wilds. Had we needed to storm the place they originally took her, you would have been invaluable."

She frowns at the ground. Bloth realizes they may have mistakenly emphasized how little she can do in this moment. They frown, knowing it may be hard for her to tell their intent from behind their mask.

“This may not be vhere you are most comfortable, but you did not hesitate to leave with me. It is honourable, your devotion to Ajay, and how much you are villing to do to find her.” They feel unsteady with their words. How can they assure her that her value does not come from her usefulness, that her value is inherent? They purse their lips. “I am glad you are here. You and I-- Ve vill survive together.”

It feels off. Bloth doesn’t really know her well enough to know how to comfort her in any meaningful ways.

“Thanks,” she mumbles.

Perhaps it was something.

* * *

Ajay stretches her arm, testing the wrap of the bandages she’s just replaced. Taliza isn’t around, but she’d been kind enough to leave another change of bandages for Ajay to check on her wounds.

Much of the last two days have been spent sleeping for Ajay. She’s trying to give herself time to heal, even if she’s a little tired of sitting in bed. She can walk now, at least across the room, without much help.

As far as Ajay can tell with her wounds, they’re healing as well as they can with minimal help. They’d be mostly done if she just had Doc with her. She’s trying not to dwell on that.

Taliza hasn’t talked much. She’s pleasant to be around, but Ajay has had to bear the brunt of conversation so far. The huntress will ask questions, but she rarely answers the ones given in response. None, at least, that relate directly to her.

Taliza's last name is a mystery. She’s somewhere near Bloth’s age, but Ajay can’t place any exacts. Her home, why she's alone in these woods… Ajay has yet to even ask. She doesn't want to intrude, but she's curious. There's so much that feels familiar about Taliza in confusing ways. Her accent, her hunting habits, and much of her decor seem so loudly like Bloth's. But then she has mannerisms that scream IMC soldier: the way she uses her knife, to the words she might use to describe something. It doesn't make complete sense to Ajay, but she's kept her questions light. She doesn't want to make the woman uncomfortable.

Ajay swings her legs over the side of the bed. Her bandages feel firm. She should be fine for some movement. She decides not to push her luck and walk anywhere though. She's still pretty unsteady on her legs and she'd rather not fall when Taliza isn't around to help her. She's hoping to be able to go outside soon for some fresh air. She's never been one to be cooped up.

Instead, she grabs one of the books Taliza has left for her. They're old things and all well read, but Ajay doesn't mind. It's something to do. She drums her fingers on the hard cover and mouths the words to a song she's got stuck in her head as she reads.

She loses track of time this way and suddenly it's hours later and Taliza is walking in the door.

"Hey!" Ajay says happily as she closes the book.

Taliza pulls off her mask and places it aside. "Good evening, Ajay." She pulls the buckskin bag off her back. It's got a sturdy looking cane attached to the side. She pulls it off and offers it to Ajay. "So you may move more."

Ajay takes it. It’s a heavy, sturdy wood that should help her fine.

“Thank ya’. I really do appreciate ya' goin' outta ya' way t' help me."

"I find it to be no trouble. You have been good company over the last days."

"Don't get much company out here?"

Taliza shakes her head as she carries her bag to the counter. "You are the first I have allowed to be in my home."

That surprises Ajay. "Ya' ain't got anyone else t' see ya'? Or is it a privacy thing?"

She shrugs. "I am not close enough with anyone in the nearby village to allow them here. None but myself know how to get here."

Ajay feels honoured to be allowed here. It's worrying to hear Taliza lacks close enough friends for a visit, but she's obviously kind enough to help a stranger she had found hurt in the woods. She can't help but wonder at the woman's origins. How does someone end up living a hermit's life in this dangerous land?

"How long ya' been alone out here?"

Taliza freezes for a moment and Ajay fears she's overstepped. But then the woman sighs as she turns to face the medic. "Years. I have not bothered to count them."

Ajay frowns. "No family to speak of?"

Pain flashes over Taliza's face. She looks almost scared for a moment. Her brow knits and for a moment it's like she's looking through Ajay, far off in the distant. Her dusty hazel eyes grow moist but only a second later she blinks it off and turns away again. "My people have been scattered to the vinds, like so many leaves from a dying tree." Her voice is gruff, as though she's trying to maintain her composure.

Ajay turns the subject away from Taliza's family in hopes of helping.

"I get bein' alone. I was alone for a while when I left my family. But I got my people now." She runs a hand through her hair. "'Nita keeps me from goin' lonely. N' Bloth is always there for me too."

Taliza goes about her business, unloading the buckskin bag. "You left your family?"

"The blood relatives. Ain't worth bein' around 'em… Bad people." Ajay thinks for a moment. "Ya' know the phrase "the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree"?" she asks. Taliza nods. "Well, this apple pulled the nails from her feet n' fled."

The woman looks back at her, obviously concerned. "They did not treat you well?"

Ajay shrugs, flopping back onto the bed. "Nuh. But not horribly. Somewhere in the middle where I keep tellin' myself I'm lucky they weren't worse, even though they hurt me. Ain't me who they treated the worst anyway. The things they did, the innocents they hurt… Damn criminals." She shrugs. "I'm doin' what I can with my life t' fix the damage they did."

Taliza is facing her again. There's a soft look on her face. "You wish to do better. To help where their hands hurt."

Ajay offers her a small smile. "Yeah. There's enough pain in the world. I dun wanna add t' it."

"That is an honourable way to live."

She chuckles. "Now ya' sound like Bloth. They've said that t' me before."

Taliza's brow knits again. "I… I do not expect you to know this, but the word "bloth"... In my language, it means blood."

Ajay props herself up on her elbow. "Means blood when I say it too. It's just short for Blóðhundur. I just call 'em Bloth for short. Or Renna, but that ain't in regards to their name."

She seems genuinely surprised by that. "It has been a long time since I have heard another speak the language I was born to."

Ajay isn't surprised by this shared language. There's too many overlaps with Bloodhound for Taliza not to know it.

"Bloth is teaching me. They were born to it too.”

Taliza looks like she’s at a loss for words. It takes her a moment to say anything. “It has been more than a decade since I have heard anyone but myself speak it.” Her voice is quiet, as if she’s only just realized what she’s said is true.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Tal.” The care in Ajay’s voice is genuine. This woman has been alone far longer than she should be. Far longer than anyone should be. “Must be hard bein’ that separated from ya’ culture.”

Taliza sighs and turns away. “It becomes numb, after a time.” Her voice is rough, like she’s holding back tears. “I am going to make us dinner. I vas able to harvest some of the vegetables of my garden."

"You have a garden?" Ajay asks it only to ease away from the subject that obviously pains Taliza.

"I do."

"Think I could see it some time? Been a while since I've been able to work with one."

"Perhaps when you are steadier on your feet."

"That's fair…" Ajay turns the cane over in her hands. “Think I could least get some fresh air?”

Taliza seems to consider it for a moment before nodding. “Certainly. As long as you feel fit enough.”

“Yeah, I want to get some sun, if that's an option.”

“I live in the shade of many trees. But when you are able to visit my garden, there is plenty of sun for you.”

“Air is plenty.”

Ajay pushes herself up and puts her weight heavy on the cane. She’s never needed much for mobility aids, but she’s known plenty of people who need them. Even Bloth needs one from time to time when their chronic pain is too much.

It’s much easier to move with the help. Taliza abandons preparation for dinner and opens the door for Ajay. There are three steps down that Taliza provides additional support for. Once Ajay has reached the bottom step, she sits. Taliza joins her.

Ajay takes a deep breath. The air smells of dirt and trees. It’s a comforting scent, as she’s recently come to relate it to Bloth. This planet had been their home, once. She’s spent some time with them in places like this, though much closer to the city.

The air smells dry. Looking around, the ground seems dry too. It’s not uncommon for this time period not to have terribly much rain.

“What day is it?”

Taliza tilts her head, curious, but tells her.

Ajay sighs. “Sounds about right.”

“Is something wrong?”

“A holiday for me is tomorrow. Was gonna be with ‘Nita and Bloth.” She shrugs. “We’ll just celebrate late.”

Taliza hums. “What is the holiday?”

Rubbing her thumbs over the handle of her cane, she looks out at the trees. “Tu B’Shevat. It’s a holiday that’s… It’s like a reminder of the connection to the planet. Earth, originally, but it’s adapted to any planet you can be on nowadays.” She takes a deep breath, remembering her first celebration of Tu B’shevat. “Might plant trees or donate money towards plantin’ trees. Have fruit centric meals… Sorta like a tree birthday party,” she jokes.

“It sounds like a noble holiday.” Taliza reaches down and touches the dirt beneath the step. “It is good to honour the planet that supports you.”

“None of us would be here without the planets that supply us.”

Ajay takes in another deep breath. She really does enjoy this. She misses going for climbs like she did in her teens. She misses hiking and skiing and all the fun she’s had to give up in order to help people. But she doesn’t regret it.

“I… I should tell you of something.”

Ajay looks over, head tilted in curiosity. “Wha’s that?”

Taliza looks unhappy. It takes her a moment to find her words. “Since I found you, there has been… evidence of others here in my valley. I have killed the ones I found. You know this. The ones who chased you. But I fear they have sent more after you.”

Ajay grips her cane a bit harder and rubs circles on the smoothed wood.

“I have hidden all evidence of where I have brought you. I hide every trace of myself out there and I have created false trails every time.” Her hands come to rest in her lap. “Whoever is tracking my movements is skilled.” She turns, looking to Ajay with a dark, serious look. “I need you to know this. I will defend you, as I have taken that role upon myself. But I cannot leave you ignorant of these things.”

Frowning, Ajay looks out into the trees around her. She doesn’t know what to do with this. More than anything, she wants this to be Bloth looking for her. She knows better. As skilled Taliza likely is, she doubts Bloth would ever fall for being misled. It is much more likely to be the raiders that had taken Ajay and shot the drop ship.

“Those men… The ones who took me. They were angry that they only got me. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’ll put more int’ gettin’ me back.”

“As I said. I vill protect you.”

Ajay smiles. “Thanks… Ya’ catch a glimpse of them? Whoever is doin’ the trackin’?”

With a shake of the head, Taliza answers, “If I had, they would already be dead.”

“Thought so.”

Ajay watches as Taliza fiddles with her hands. She’s pulling at the fingers of her prosthetic hand in a way Ajay finds familiar.

“Ya’ prosthetic givin’ ya’ trouble?”

Taliza only nods.

“When’s the last time ya’ had someone look at it? Ya’ supposed t’ have those sorts of prosthesis checked on yearly.”

The woman scoffs. “It has been many years.”

“If ya’ want, I can take a look. I’ve had t’ do some trainin’ on that sort of thing. Plenty of friends of mine have one.”

There's a moment of hesitation. "If it is no trouble to you."

"A' course it isn't."

* * *

Anita feels useless. She feels helpless. There have yet to be any developments in Bloth's tracking that make her able to actually do anything.

Her day consists of a short hike to receive and send messages to Crypto. Other than that, she tends the fire and manages rations. She's kept herself at half rations. She shouldn't eat so much if she's doing _fucking nothing_.

They're going to lose Ajay and it's because of her.

She can't help Bloth. She doesn't know how to track. If she did, maybe she'd be able to help them narrow things down. Maybe she'd help find Ajay.

Maybe she'd be useful.

Every night, when she eventually falls asleep, she's tormented by dreams. It's always getting onto that stupid fucking transport. Sometimes it's the exact way it played out. Sometimes it's different. Her dream changes, occasionally making her watch Ajay die, shot by something far more than a tranquilizer dart. Other times she's forced to abandon Ajay without even looking back. No matter what, she hears Ajay's voice. It's always a quiet, breathy little, "Anita?" before Ajay slumps to the ground.

Anita is useless.

Bloth already knows she feels this way, but they seem awkward around her. Their common ground is Ajay. There's not really much else, beside the games.

They had guessed at Anita's relationship and, thankfully, hadn't seemed angry about it. She’s never been certain what the reactions of their friends would be, let alone someone Ajay considers family. Her IMC background isn’t exactly something you’d think you’d find on a woman dating a staunch advocate for Frontier Corps. She knows Ajay doesn’t care who knows or how anyone feels about the relationship but the two of them. It still feels like she’s gotten Bloth’s approval, which certainly feels nice. Well, it might if Ajay weren’t kidnapped.

Anita finds she has a growing terror in her chest over this. It’s getting harder and harder to push back the fact Ajay might be dead. She's barely sleeping, tormented by nightmares, and feels sick every time she isn't moving.

Anita is afraid.

The previous day, Bloth had tried to comfort her. The person seems more confident than she is in this. Every moment they aren’t resting, they are out looking for Ajay and scouring the lands here. All while Anita sits in camp.

Ajay is out there and needs help and Anita is just sitting in camp.

What if she's dead?

The thought won't leave her alone. She wants to be positive, she wants to be strong. For Ajay.

But she can't stop thinking of the worst.

It's an all consuming fear that sits in her gut. If Ajay's dead, Anita doesn't know what she'll do. Ajay is the brightest spot in her life. Without Ajay, what's the fucking point? Sure, she has friends and family, but without Ajay, all of her plans unravel. The future she sees for them together would dissipate. The years ahead, the ones Anita is looking forward to spending with the woman she loves… those would be gone.

She voices her fears, suddenly and bluntly, beside the fire.

"What if Ajay is dead?"

Bloth's head jerks their head to look at her. "She is not."

"But what if--"

“She is _alive_.”

“I want to believe you, but how do you know that? We-- You've been following those trails in circles for days.” Anita wants to scream. She wants to cry. She wants to, to… fight something, take out her aggression on the raiders that caused this.

“I know this because I know her. She has passed her test.” Bloth turns away from Anita. “Long before I met her.”

“What does that _mean_?” she asks, exasperated.

“You will know when you face your own.”

They stand then and head back off into the woods.

Bloth is an enigma. They might be certain Ajay is alive, for reasons Anita just doesn't understand, but Anita is afraid. All this time she spends alone at camp has the anxiety growing in her chest by the hour.

Bloth is certain Ajay is alive and that should comfort her but it doesn't. She doesn't have that same confidence. Anita feels afraid and alone. She wants to move, to do something, anything.

She wants to turn her anger on the people who caused this.

She wants to let herself be sad and cry.

She wants Ajay back.

* * *

Ajay bends the joint of the finger she's holding. It moves silently with no issues. she sets it down and picks up the next one.

Taliza's prosthetic is out of date, but it's a high quality model. The branding puts it as an IMC prosthetic commonly used for the higher level troops. Ajay doesn't mention this. It near about confirms Taliza is ex-IMC, but she's obviously trying to hide that. Ajay won't pry.

Taliza is working on dinner just fine with a single hand. Whatever she's cooking is mouth watering. Ajay can smell garlic mingled with the cooking meet and she can't wait for dinner.

Ajay clears the dirt and grime from the joints of the finger she's working with before taking a look at the "sinews" inside. The sinews are constructed of wires made to contract in response to the nerve signals from the wearer. This finger had a corroding wire, but Taliza has provided her some of the scrap machines she's got. Finding a replacement is fairly simply. All she needs is a bit of treated copper and she's all set. She tests the joint after and the finger contracts as it's supposed to.

Ajay's experience with prosthetics comes larger from her time in the frontier corps. Plenty of the people she had helped had needed care for them or had needed a new prosthesis all together. Lucky for them, Ajay had been a quick study.

Taliza's prosthetic is showing its age. It's likely at least a decade old, if not more. Ajay will do what she can for it, but it's not going to extend the limb's lifespan by much. She'll need a new one within a couple years.

Ajay gently removes the palm of the prosthetic and examines the inside. She'll have to replace some of the wires here as well. There's plenty what needs cleaning too.

She hums as she works.

Ajay likes working with electronics and different mechanical things like this. She has good memories of taking apart the toys she had when she was little just to see how they worked. She’s into much more advanced things now. Doc, for one. That little robot had taken time to get right and now she runs fantastically. Ajay is proud of the work she put in.

Prosthetics are a different kettle of fish. Doc is a sturdy thing compared to the insides of a prosthetic. Taliza’s hand has fine wires that transmit commands from Taliza’s actual nervous system to control the hand. With the age of this prosthetic, it’s not quite as advanced as prosthetics have become. If Taliza were to upgrade now to one of similar quality, she would find her reaction time much quicker. Hell, even what Ajay is doing with the hand will speed it up. But a new hand would make it much better for her. 

Ajay loses track of time as she works. Before she knows it, she’s just about done and Taliza is setting a bowl of food beside her.

“Thank ya’,” Ajay mumbles as she very gently fastens a wire down where it belongs. She bites her lip and leans back. She just needs to put it back together.

She’s just finished locking the palm back into place when she realizes Taliza is watching her with interest. Ajay gives her a smile.

“Just about done. It should work better for ya’ now.”

Ajay looks over her work and gently lifts the hand and bends the fingers. She sets it down. “Aight. Let me see the connectors. I wanna make sure ya’ wrist is good too.”

Taliza offers the arm in question.

Taliza’s prosthetic goes partially up her forearm. It’s a bit more complicated of a location due to her radius and ulna’s functionality being limited, but she seems to have adjusted well. 

“Lemme know if anything feels off, yeah?”

The connection point on Taliza’s arm is well taken care of. There’s no dirt or grime here, just a well maintained section of tech based nerve endings. There’s very little for Ajay to do.

“Mind if I reattach ya’ hand?”

“I do not mind, no.”

Ajay hums to herself again as she ensures everything lines up properly.

Taliza gasps, almost surprised, as the prosthetic locks in. She pulls her hand away, as if without meaning to.

“Somethin’ wrong?” Ajay asks, concerned. “Did it hurt?”

Taliza shakes her head and stares at the hand, wiggling her fingers one at a time. “I have not been able to feel this for many years. It… It is strange to have that back.”

Ajay purses her lips. “Ya’ didn’t have feelin in it?” Most prosthetics have an ability to transmit the feel of what their touching, though Ajay is certain this model had muted abilities for that.

“In recent years, it had become nonexistent. The feeling is mostly in the fingertips now, but it is strange to have any back.”

Ajay holds out a hand. “Let me do a quick check for peace a’ mind?”

Taliza sets her wrist in Ajay’s hand.

Ajay examines the hand and asks Taliza to move in certain ways. Everything seems to be working well enough on it for a prosthetic of that age.

“How’re ya feelin’ with it? Not the actual feelin’, the general.”

Taliza makes a fist and then splays her fingers. “It seems to be more responsive. And the joints are no longer so stiff.” She gives Ajay a small smile. “Thank you, Ajay.”

“Not a problem.” She turns her attention to the still hot bowl of food Taliza had placed there. “Why dun we turn our focus t’ food? Looks good.”

“Certainly.”

Taliza sits across from Ajay with her own bowl. She hesitates, looking at Ajay almost quizzically, but then the expression disappears and she digs into her food.

* * *

Bloth takes a deep breath.

Anita thinks Ajay is dead.

That scares Bloth, as Anita is the one who Bloth would expect to never give up. She’s stubborn and she loves Ajay. Bloth would never expect this from her. To have lost hope in finding Ajay?

Bloth had walked away from her after she had asked that. They are unwilling to admit defeat. The Allfather would have told them, somehow, if Ajay was beyond saving.

But Artur remains silent on his perch nearby. The last guidance offered had been days ago, when Artur had brought them to where Ajay had fallen.

Bloth needs to do this on their own, it seems.

They are lucky that the weather has been dry and the valley doesn’t get much by the way of wind. With the weather how it is at the moment, Bloth has time.

They still feel poorly about being unable to truly help Anita. Their words must have felt hollow to the woman. They don’t want her sitting in her grief, but they simply don’t know how to help.

Perhaps they can figure out something for her to do. Some people work best when they can move, when their bodies are kept busy.

There isn’t terribly much to do. Not that isn't centric on finding Ajay.

There are some things that will need to be addressed soon if they are to stay out here though...

Ah. Perhaps that.

Bloth returns to camp.

Anita is seated by the fire, staring into it with an angry expression on her face. Her fists are balled. She’s likely stewing on the situation they’ve found themselves in. 

"Anita," Bloth speaks.

She starts and looks up. Her eyes are red. "Yeah?"

"You want to make yourself useful, yes?"

She nods.

They remove the axe from their hip and examine her for a moment.

"Ve vill need food soon enough." Bloth throws the axe, sticking it into the dirt beside Anita. "Hunt."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
